The Mid-American Conference (MAC) announces the addition of women’s rowing

MAC women's rowing will begin in the 2025-26 academic year, with the addition of women's rowing the MAC now sponsors championships 23 (13 women / 10 men). It makes the MAC sponsoring the third most sports of any FBS Conference (ACC 28, Big Ten 28, Big 12 Conference 23).

The MAC will have six programs competing in women’s rowing as Eastern Michigan, Toledo and UMass will be joined by new affiliate members Delaware, High Point and Temple.

“The member institutions of the Mid-American Conference take great pride in offering a broad array of sports offerings for our students,” said MAC Commissioner, Dr. Jon A. Steinbrecher. “Women’s rowing is a great addition to our sports sponsorship line-up. This is a sport that continues to grow in popularity, and I am already looking forward to awarding our first championship in May 2026.

The first MAC Championship will be held in the spring of 2026, while the Conference plans to host an Invitational event in the spring of 2025. The MAC Championships will be hosted by Eastern Michigan at Lakeside Park on Ford Lake for at least the first three seasons.

Her is some of the reaction the MAC has received on the announcement:

Delaware Head Rowing Coach Asiya Mahmud

“We are excited to join the MAC. The decision to sponsor women’s rowing in the MAC is one that shows support for not only Delaware athletics, but also the sport of women’s rowing. We are thrilled to forge forward in the MAC with other universities and rowing programs that share aspirations of bringing both regional and national relevance to the conference as well as a high level of competition.”

Eastern Michigan Head Rowing Coach Kemp Savage

"The Mid-American Conference taking a leading role in the expansion of Women’s Rowing represents a significant investment in women's athletics and the future of NCAA Rowing. All the future MAC coaches are enthusiastic about crowning the first conference champion at the new course in Ypsilanti, and we are honored to be the inaugural hosts at Eastern Michigan University."

High Point Head Rowing Coach Jessica Deitrick

“I am thrilled to have our new women’s rowing program join the Mid-American Conference. I believe the addition of women’s rowing to the MAC is great for the sport of rowing and for the programs involved. Together we will make a competitive field that enhances our student-athlete’s experiences. For High Point University, this is a great place for us to be and develop into a highly-competitive program and nationally-recognized name. We are looking forward to the first conference championship in May 2026!”

University of Massachusetts Head Rowing Coach Eric Carcich

“We're extremely excited about the creation of the MAC Rowing Championships, beginning in the Spring of 2026. After experiencing the loss of two of our rowing conferences where auto bids were drawn from this past year, to be on the other side in creation mode is exciting. We’re also excited to compete at the state-of-the-art course Coach Savage has built at Eastern Michigan, which will attract the best crews from all over the country to invitational regattas and our annual conference championship. The energy surrounding the creation of the MAC Rowing Championships is massive and it is exciting for UMass and EMU to be part of that foundation.”

Temple Head Rowing Coach Rebecca Grzybowski

We are thrilled to finally share that we will be part of the MAC's brand-new women's rowing championship! Providing a competitive championship opportunity for our student-athletes is important for our team and also vital for the continued growth of women's rowing around the country. We are grateful for all the hard work to make this a reality and proud to be part of the inaugural class of women's rowing in the MAC.

Toledo Vice President and Director of Athletics Bryan B. Blair

"We are very excited that women’s rowing will be added as a Mid-American Conference sport in 2025-26, the inaugural season of Toledo Women’s Rowing. A conference home is important to the growth and development of our rowing program. Today’s announcement further adds to the excitement surrounding the addition of the sport at The University of Toledo as we look to grow and nurture new relationships in our community, and better serve our University.”

MAC vs Sun Belt Basketball Challenge

A scheduling alliance women’s basketball, the MAC-SBC Challenge enters its second season and will tip off during the opening week of the 2024-25 campaign on Monday, November 4 .

The second MAC-SBC Challenge contest for each team will be announced in January before tipping off in early February. Sun Belt women will host the February matchups, as each MAC and Sun Belt team included in the MAC-SBC Challenge is guaranteed one home and one away game each season.

The Sun Belt captured the inaugural women's MAC-SBC as they won 14 of the 24 games plyed.

Sun Belt champion Marshall will travel to MAC regular season champion Toledo, as SBC Championship runner-up James Madison visits reigning MAC tournament champion Kent State.

MAC-SBC Challenge Women’s Basketball Matchups
App State at Miami (Ohio)
Arkansas State at Western Michigan
Coastal Carolina at Central Michigan
Georgia Southern at Ohio
Georgia State at Akron
James Madison at Kent State
Louisiana at Northern Illinois
Marshall at Toledo
Old Dominion at Ball State
Southern Miss at Bowling Green
Texas State at Eastern Michigan
Troy at Buffalo