As the cherry blossoms begin to bloom across the Washington, D.C. area in late March, the women’s rowing program is poised to begin their spring campaign of 2,000 meter sprint races March 22. Both the openweight (OW) and lightweight (LW) divisions will travel to Fairfax Station, Va., where the openweight crew will compete in the George’s Cup while the lightweight team will take on the University of Wisconsin in a dual meet.

Leading the openweight division, Head Coach Kendall Mulligan, who has been at the helm of the program since July 2018, struck a positive tone regarding the spring season. In the athletic department’s Spring 2026 schedule announcement, Mulligan said the team’s schedule this spring favors both athletic and academic performance.

“We have crafted a schedule that allows for deep competitive opportunity while balancing the academic demands of the students and feel fortunate to be in the Mid-Atlantic where we can stay home or travel while being able to compete against top Division I programs,” Mulligan told Georgetown Athletics.

The openweight women aim to replicate their strong 2025 performance in the George’s Cup, where they finished second out of three teams but tied for the most points with local rival George Washington University, who retained the title after taking the victory in the varsity eight event.

Following the George’s Cup, the openweights will make their way to Cherry Hill, N.J., to participate in the Philly Invitational on March 28 before returning to D.C. for the April 11-13 George Washington Invitational Regatta. The Hoyas seek to build on the dominant showing they delivered in last year’s event, where they won 13-of-14 duals. Notably, juniors Yanna Grammas and Phoebe Opler, both coxswains, piloted their respective teams to wins over University of California San Diego and West Virginia University. Last season, Grammas coxed the women’s second varsity eight, while Opler directed the women’s first varsity four.

Following the GW Regatta, OW will return to action a week later in an April 18 duel against the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., before making the trip down south to Lake Wheeler, N.C., for the Lake Wheeler Invitational on April 24-25.

The openweights will conclude the regular season by participating in the annually attended Dad Vail Regatta, which will be held in Cherry Hill, N.J., May 8-9. Last year, Mulligan said OW had a strong performance at the event.

“Every boat finished top 3 in their respective events each earning the team points to secure the overall women’s team points trophy for the second consecutive year,” Mulligan told Georgetown Athletics after the 2025 edition of the event.

The Hoyas will look to make it a three-peat this time around after heading to Philadelphia on April 18 for the Drexel Dual — the only race of the season that will also see the lightweights compete — and then before returning to Cherry Hill for the Patriot League Rowing Championships on May 15.

The OW made history at the 2025 Patriot League Championships, finishing in second place in the 9-team field, marking the first time the program earned runner-up honors since joining the Patriot League back in 2014. The second varsity 8 crew will have a target on their backs this time around, as this year’s crew will look to defend last season’s grand final victory.

Meanwhile, the LW Hoyas will open their season hosting the Wisconsin Dual on March 22 against the University of Wisconsin Badgers for the second consecutive year at Fairfax Station, Va. Last year, the Badgers bested the Hoyas in the varsity four and varsity double, whereas the Hoyas took the win over the Badgers in the eight.

Following the Wisconsin Duel, the LW Hoyas will start their tour of New Jersey by heading to Cherry Hill to compete in the April 11-12 Knecht Cup. For the third event, the Hoyas will remain in the state of New Jersey again, this time heading back to Princeton for a dual versus Princeton University on April 25. In last year’s matchup, Princeton took all three races against the Hoyas in the varsity eight, four, and double.

The lightweights will wrap up their spring slate with a trip to Worcester, Mass., for the Eastern Sprints on May 3, followed by the IRA Championships — the national championship equivalent for lightweight rowing, as it is not an NCAA sanctioned sport — May 29-31 in Sacramento, Calif. With tough competition all over the schedule, look for the LW Hoyas to be in great form heading into May, and ready to take back some hardware to the Hilltop while following up on their third-place finish in the 8+ last season.