8-person rowing shells docked at LLOP.
Just as NCAA football season wound down last month, another college sport surging in popularity hit the water. College women rowers stepped off the ergs and took up oars aiming toward a final finish on Lake Lanier. The 2026 NCAA Women’s Rowing Div. I, II and III national championships at Lake Lanier Olympic Park (LLOP) May 29-31 are expected to bring the highest level of rowing competition to the venue since the 1996 Olympics and offer a unique opportunity for the community to shine beyond the waters.
“The recent development of rowing has resulted in it becoming more competitive and put more eyes on it,” said Howell Buot, Lake Lanier Rowing Club (LLRC) Executive Director and regatta director of the NCAA championship. The influx of women athletes in the wake of Title IX requiring equal opportunities for women in college sports brought more money and attention to the former niche sport that has grown on college campuses across the nation.
Thirty-six teams from all three divisions will compete in heats, semi-finals and finals in four- or eight-seat boats. The Lanier regatta will be the last time all three divisions compete at the same event. Sanford University won last year’s championship, followed by Yale and Texas at the regatta held at Lake Mercer in West Windsor, N.J.
NCAA’s official announcement in 2020 confirming its selection of LLOP for the prestigious championship stated that host sites were chosen on their “ability to create an outstanding experience for student athletes.” That ability includes the skill and preparedness to meet the organization’s high standards for competition. Buot indicated those strict standards laid down in every aspect of the regatta make other southeastern rowing competitions at the venue and even the last NCAA championships held there in 1998 look almost quaint.
LLRC, the Gainesville Convention & Visitors Bureau and Olympic Park Foundation are finalizing preparations and seeking volunteers committed to meeting NCAA expectations outlined in the regatta bid submitted in 2019. The terms of that bid, a collaboration between the rowing club, the City of Gainesville and the University of North Georgia (UNG) were not publicly available, but the scope of the 36-member Local Organizing Committee gives a broad view of what that winning bid promised. It covers not only venue operations, logistics, and regatta management but also off-the-water hospitality, such as upgrading the LLOP shoreline facilities, securing accommodations for crews and promoting spectator lodging, according to Robyn Lynch, Gainesville Tourism Director.
On-going improvements at LLOP.
Lynch reported LLOP improvements are 85 percent complete. Those include walking paths, enhanced picnic areas and a pavilion. She said those projects would be fully operational by spring.
The spotlight will also shine on Downtown Gainesville, where the tourism office plans nightly entertainment on the square. Lynch said this perk, for locals and visitors, offers hospitality beyond the bid. She projected a total local economic impact of $2.5 million the week of the championships.
UNG, the sponsoring NCAA member institution, will provide some administrative, ticketing, and volunteer support and assist with the participant manual, said Lee Glenn, senior associate athletic director. Glenn reported that UNG currently has a rowing club crew but does not have an intercollegiate rowing team.
Prior to the championship, Buot expects large NCAA crews will converge at LLOP for spring training in March. Last month he made time for a reporter’s interview after assisting crews from Yale and Purdue in winter break practice. At the time, he said he was the only full-time LLRC staff member on hand at the venue. LLRC hired Buot 5½ years ago as a coach and he has since risen to executive director of the club whose founders helped with the 1996 Olympic rowing competition on Lanier. He is excited about serving as the NCAA championship regatta director and is confident that legacy and newer LLRC members, plus rowers from metro-Atlanta and the Southeast will help fill a fleet of approximately 120 volunteers needed to run the regatta.
Regatta tasks like boat weigh-ins, safety checks, motorboat fleet maneuvers, plaza operations, plus camera monitoring every 500 meters of the 200-meter course are best managed by rowers experienced with the kind of exactitude NCAA expects, he said. LLRC, which has participated in and run regattas for decades, has “people who specialize in different areas,” he said. He also expects his connections from previous coaching jobs with the Atlanta Rowing Club and metro Atlanta private schools will attract additional experienced hands on deck.
The CVB planned to launch a link this month for volunteers to assist with regatta operations and hospitality at www.exploregainesville.org. See NCAA Championship pages.
Buot believes volunteers will rally at the chance to get close to high level racing. “A lot of (LLRC members) have not really seen a big race. They’re excited and I’m excited for them … they will get to be a couple of feet away from legends in the college coaching community.” LLOP has not “seen this level of (rowing competition) since the Olympics,” he added.
Buot predicts the NCAA regatta will focus more eyes on LLOP. “It’s looking to be potentially just the beginning of more big events it’s going to get,” he said. It’s an opportunity to “capitalize locally” on national attention.
Photos: by Vicki and Alan Hope
