The Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association named Texas junior Lucy Searle its 2026 Athlete of the Year, head coach Dave O’Neill its Coach of the Year and the Longhorns’ coaching group its Coaching Staff of the Year, the organisation announced on June 12. The clean sweep arrived less than two weeks after Texas won the NCAA Division I women’s rowing championship at Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Gainesville, Georgia. The coaches’ vote reflected Texas’ performance at Lake Lanier.

Texas finished the national regatta on May 31 with 130 points, five clear of runner-up Stanford (125), with Tennessee third on 119 and Virginia fourth on 114. The Longhorns’ First Varsity Eight won gold in 5:47.706, a time Texas described as an unofficial world record. The I Four also took gold, while the II Eight finished second, giving Texas two individual boat titles and a podium finish in its third entry.

Searle, a two-time CRCA First-Team All-American, becomes the third Longhorn to win the Athlete of the Year award, joining Anna Jensen in 2024 and Francesca Raggi in 2022. Texas has had a finalist in each of the last three years. Searle was one of four finalists alongside Stanford’s Annika Jeffery, Tennessee’s Meg Flanagan and Washington’s Aisha Rocek, according to the CRCA.

O’Neill’s nomination of Searle for the award gave the clearest picture of her season. “Lucy became one of the team’s top technical rowers, and she established a new team record on the C2 erg despite being somewhat undersized,” O’Neill said. “A relentless competitor, Lucy was persistent and positive throughout the spring racing, and her ability to lift and lead her teammates was noticed by the entire team and staff. There’s no way we would have finished the way we did without the leadership and ability of Lucy Searle.”

Searle framed the individual honour as a product of collective training culture. “This award reflects the standard Texas Rowing sets, a standard defined by how we train, compete and raise the bar for each other,” she said. “Our consistency comes from how we show up every day under Dave O’Neill. The drive and determination from every member of the team has shaped me as an athlete.”

O’Neill’s Coach of the Year award was his fourth while at Texas. The coaching staff honour, also the programme’s fourth, recognised O’Neill alongside associate head coach Gia Doonan and assistant coaches Nick Baker, Spencer Kales, Alexa McAuliffe, Nicole Borges and Rachel Sander. NCAA rowing titles are built across multiple boats and selection decisions over a full season; the staff recognition reflects the work behind the results.

The 2026 championship strengthened Texas’ position in the sport’s historical record. The Longhorns are now only the second programme to win four NCAA titles in a six-year span, joining Brown (1999–2004). Texas’ four national championships tie the programme with Cal for third-most all-time, behind Brown’s seven and Washington’s five. The 130-point total matched Texas’ own programme record from 2024 and sits tied for third among all teams since the current scoring system was introduced in 2013, trailing only Washington’s 132 points in 2017 and 2019.

Texas has recorded a top-eight finish at each of the previous 11 national regattas and a top-four finish in each of the last nine. The 1V8 gold was the crew’s fourth national title and first since 2024.

“It was a terrific year, and I’m certainly honored to be selected coach of the year by my colleagues,” O’Neill said. “Of course, all the credit goes to the team. Despite not everything going our way, everyone stuck together and did something special in the end. I’m forever grateful for everyone’s attitude and effort throughout the entire year.”

Searle returns as a senior in 2026–27. The programme she re-enters has won more CRCA Athlete of the Year awards (three in five seasons) than any other over that span, and its coaching staff has produced the most consistent results in the NCAA field. The numbers suggest Texas will start next season as the programme to beat.