PENNSAUKEN, NJ (May 15, 2026) – The 2026 MAAC Women's Rowing Championship will take place at Cooper River Park in Pennsauken Township, NJ this Sunday, May 17, 2026. The championship returns to Cooper River for the seventh time over the past eight championships.
Canisius University, Fairfield University, Jacksonville University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Sacred Heart University, and Stetson University will compete for the league title and the conference's automatic qualifier for the 2026 NCAA Division I Women’s Rowing Championship.
Team seedings for the championship will be as followed: No. 1 Jacksonville, No. 2 Marist, No. 3 Sacred Heart, No. 4 Fairfield, No. 5 Stetson, No. 6 Canisius, No. 7 Merrimack.
Top-seeded Jacksonville will look to reclaim its throne in 2026 after the Dolphins bid for a four-peat was halted last season. The 2026 preseason favorite, Jacksonville finished as runner up at the 2025 MAAC Rowing Championship, tying Fairfield with a league-high 47 points. The MAAC Championship was ultimately decided by the 1V8 race, where Fairfield claimed the victory to secure the title and prevent Jacksonville from capturing its fourth consecutive championship. Jacksonville has won eight conference titles since 2014. Marist, which enters the championship as the No. 2 seed, is looking to return to the top of the MAAC podium for the first time since winning back-to-back league crowns in 2021 and 2019. The Red Foxes have been the most dominate program in the conference, hoisting a MAAC-leading 12 championship trophies dating back to 1997. Marist was second in the preseason poll and ended last season’s championship with a third placed finish behind Fairfield and Jacksonville. Last season’s fifth place finisher, No. 3 Sacred Heart will be seeking its program’s first-ever MAAC crown this season. Defending MAAC Champion, Fairfield, ended its 25 year drought last season, by winning the 2025 MAAC Rowing Championship. It was the Stags second title in program history (2000) and the program’s first ever automatic qualifier into the NCAA Championship. The Stags enter the postseason as the fourth seed for the second consecutive year. Additionally, Merrimack will be making its first championship appearance since joining the MAAC.
All four finals will air live on
ESPN+ with
live results available.
The full schedule for the championship can be found below:
| Event |
Time |
| 2nd Varsity 4 – Grand Final |
9:50 AM |
| Varsity 4 – Grand Final |
10:00 AM |
| 2nd Varsity 8 – Grand Final |
10:10 AM |
| Varsity 8 – Grand Final |
10:20 AM |
| Awards Ceremony |
11:30 AM* |
For all information regarding the 2026 MAAC Women's Rowing Championship please visit
maacsports.com/rowing.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 45th year of competition during the 2025-26 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena University.
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