SARASOTA, Fla. – No. 9 Rutgers rowing is set to travel for the annual Big Ten Invitational this weekend, April 18-19

"We're fired up and excited, as always," said head coach Justin Price. "We're looking forward to this event; it's always a significant event on our calendar."

The Big Ten Invitational consistently draws top competition, and this year is no different. All 11 Big Ten Conference programs will be in attendance—Iowa, No. 21 Indiana, No. 12 Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, No. 14 Ohio State, No. 9 Rutgers, UCLA, No. 24 USC, No. 3 Washington, and Wisconsin. They will be joined by a strong contingent of invited teams including No. 6 Tennessee, No. 7 Brown, No. 11 Penn, No. 16 Duke, No. 17 Oregon State, Alabama, Notre Dame, No. 18 Harvard, Miami, SMU, No. 20 Oklahoma, and Clemson,
promising high-level racing throughout the weekend.

"Looking ahead, we have a lot of pride in being in the Big Ten," Price said. "We are also appreciative of all the guests who are coming to participate in this regatta to make it something really special and to create high-level racing, which aligns with our initial vision for the Big Ten Invitational. We put this vision together to make this event one of the top regular-season events in the country. I think we've achieved that."

Rutgers enters the weekend with momentum from a strong start to its season, winning the Doc Hosea Invitational and winning six Big Ten Boats of the Week. As Price mentioned, "Yeah, we've had a good start to the year in our first couple of events and races. It has been good to get back to training for two weeks, and we are looking forward to returning for our third time competing this weekend."

Looking ahead to this year's competition, Price expressed confidence in his team. "This year, we have a great group. We have great senior leadership; many of our seniors are stepping up in a way that's inspiring to me, to our staff, to our team, and to some of our younger athletes. We also have some younger athletes stepping up, and they're fired up, and they are contributing. We have a really good team!"

He further emphasized the impact of the team's leadership, stating, "If I were to point to any area of the team and specifically highlight what's leading the charge, I would say it has been the extraordinary group of seniors who are very motivated. They are taking the lead, are ambitious, and are looking to build on our early start to the year."

Rutgers Schedule
Session I - Friday, April 18
10:30 a.m. - 2nd Varsity 4
10:40 a.m. - Varsity 4
10:50 a.m. - 2nd Varsity 8
11:00 a.m. - Varsity 8
11:50 a.m. - 3rd Varsity 4
12:00 p.m. - 4th Varsity 8
12:10 p.m. - 3rd Varsity 8

Session II - Friday, April 18
2:15 p.m. - 3rd Varsity 4
2:25 p.m. - 4th Varisty 8
2:35 p.m. - 3rd Varsity 8
4:15 p.m. - 2nd Varsity 4
4:25 p.m. - Varsity 4
4:35 p.m. - 2nd Varsity 8
4:45 p.m. - Varsity 8

Session III - Saturday, April 19
8:30 a.m. - 3rd Varsity 8
9:40 a.m. - 2nd Varsity 4
9:50 a.m. - Varsity 4
10:00 a.m. - 2nd Varsity 8
10:10 a.m. - Varsity 8
11:50 a.m. - 3rd Varsity 4
12:20 p.m. - 4th Varsity 8


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