FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Women's lightweight rowing commences at Sacred Heart University this fall, though the Pioneers already have a strong women's rowing program.

The Pioneers are the 10^th school to add a lightweight team, which consists of athletes around 130 pounds and under. Lightweight competitions are unique in that they include sweep rowing (one oar in both hands) as well as sculling (oar in each hand).

SHU Lightweight Rowing (SHU130s) will begin as a team within an existing program, building over the next three years into a program of its own. Pioneer athletes have an opportunity to row for both teams until the formal split takes place.

"I am excited to build on the momentum of SHU Rowing and give our women more opportunities to race," said SHU Head Coach Lucas Wilhelm. "We are looking for women from around the country who want to be part of something bigger than themselves, athletes who want to reach their absolute potential by training hard."
SHU130s, which is hoping for an entry at this fall's Head of the Charles Regatta, will compete at the 2026 Eastern Sprints. The national championship for lightweights is contested at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Championships.

Wilhelm, who will be recruiting at several regattas this fall including Head of the Charles, Head of the Schuylkill, and Head of the Riverfront, added, "We think it's a special opportunity to form a new program that will add to the history and legacy of both women's rowing at SHU and the lightweight league." 

There are currently around 156 college women's varsity programs, 89 of which are Division I schools with 10 lightweight programs.
 
Schools with Women's Lightweight Rowing
Boston University
Eastern Michigan  
Georgetown
Gordon College
MIT
Princeton
Radcliffe (Harvard)
Sacred Heart
Stanford
Wisconsin
 
 
 
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