Hawkeyes Travel to No. 15 UCF for Scrimmages

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa rowing team heads down to Orlando, Florida to train and scrimmage against the 15th ranked UCF Knights. The Hawkeyes will get to test their winter fitness and tweak boat lineups heading into the competition season.

FORMAT
Iowa will participate in four 2,000 meter pieces on Friday afternoon, changing rates every 500 meters. Coaches are looking to gauge boat speed across Big 12 boat classes, 1V8 through 3V8, and try different lineups against live competition in a controlled environment. Saturday will feature five-minute pieces at slightly higher controlled rates again against live competition.

LAST SEASON
The Hawkeyes returned 42 athletes after tailing nine outright victories in the 2025 season. In an expanded Big Ten Championship, Iowa finished 10th, with three boats finishing above their seed. In the off-season, Iowa grew its international count to 15 with the addition of four new international athletes. Mia Lawrence returns for her sophomore season after being named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team last year.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH JEFF GARBUTT
“We are excited to get our athletes out against live competition and see what they can do. As a staff, we are looking to see improvement from last year. We’ve seen the team get faster off the water this winter and want to see if that is going to translate into boats. As we travel, I really look to the upperclassmen to be an example for the underclassmen. I am eager to see what this team can do when tested by good competition. Go Hawks!”