RICHMOND, Va. – As part of its transition to NCAA Division I, the UC San Diego women's rowing team has joined the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). The conference, which is based in Richmond, Va. and has conducted a women's rowing championship since 2009, made its announcement this morning.
The Tritons join six other schools in the CAA which sponsor women's rowing: UConn, Delaware, Drexel, Eastern Michigan, Northeastern, and Villanova. UC San Diego will face its new conference opponents this spring at the CAA Championships, which will be held on May 16 in Cooper River, N.J.
"We're very pleased to welcome UC San Diego to the CAA as an associate member in rowing," CAA Commissioner Joe D'Antonio said. "Coach Truex has built an extremely competitive and successful program that will add to the quality of rowing in the conference. We look forward to having the Tritons competing in the CAA championship in May."
The move to Division I and the CAA comes after many years of success for the Tritons at the Division II level. UC San Diego made appearances at the NCAA Division II Championships on eight occasions, including three-consecutive years (2017-19) prior to the cancellation of the 2020 season.
Colin Truex has been at the helm for the Tritons since 2012 and will guide the team during its Division I transition. During his tenure, he has led 11 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. Truex shared his enthusiasm regarding the team's move to the CAA.
"We are incredibly excited to be a part of the CAA as we move into the Division I level of NCAA women's rowing," Truex said. "The programs of the CAA reflect that perfect balance of excellence on the water and high academic achievement that we strive for at UC San Diego every day.
"We will certainly be challenged by the speed and depth of the programs we will line up against, but we look forward to that challenge and closing the gap in this year and the years to come! See you on the race course, CAA!"
UC San Diego will begin its 2021 season with a scrimmage, facing LMU and USD at Mission Bay on April 10. The scrimmage will be hosted by the Toreros.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions III and II and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America accolades, while 38 have received prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.
Return To Sport… Safely
In order for UC San Diego scholar-athletes to be permitted to return to training and competition safely and within federal, state, local and university guidelines, the athletic department implemented a number of measures designed to complement and enhance the university's highly-successful Return To Learn program. Notable actions include being physically distanced when practical, including during out-of-season training sessions; wearing masks, except when undergoing physically strenuous exercise; and maintaining proper hygiene. Athletes, coaches and staff are testing at a higher frequency than the campus population, teams adhere to CDC, NCAA and Big West Conference guidelines and department officials participate in regular meetings with conference and university-affiliated physicians and the UC San Diego emergency operations staff.
