University of Minnesota Athletics
Sunday, November 8
Earlysville, VA
10:00 AM
University of Minnesota
at
Rivanna Romp
Photo by: David Kaplan
11/6/2026 2:00:00 PM | Rowing
Racing begins in Virginia at 10 a.m.
MINNEAPOLIS - The Golden Gophers rowing team will close their fall portion of the schedule on Sunday as they compete in the annual Rivanna Romp hosted by the University of Virginia in Earlysville, Va.
The regatta gets underway at 10 a.m. (CT) with approximately 26 Varsity Eights crews followed by 29 boats of Varsity Fours around 11:45 a.m. Boats will launch one at a time, roughly 10-15 seconds apart, in a time trial format to determine the winners. Minnesota will go up against the host Cavaliers, Clemson, George Washington, High Point, North Carolina, and Old Dominion.
Admission is free to the public and parking is available at the Thomas Temple Allan Boathouse on the west bank of the Rivanna Reservoir. The boathouse is the closest point where spectators can see the racing along the 4,000-meter course.
Minnesota's Lineup (subject to change)
1V8: Ashley Ohlemacher (cox), Paige Keller, Jaden Deutscher, Emma Herstad, Kimberly Klassen, Emilie Rish, Kylie Mong, Sophia Pirigyi, Chloe Petersen
2V8: Radhika Ajmera (cox), Mary Jane DeWeerdt, Lauren Fiddy, Madeline Fincham, Danna Strohsack, Kate Fitzpatrick, Josefine Freltoft, Immy Lovatt, Alexa Fauson
3V8: Shelby Kaplan (cox), Lidia Markiewicz, Lexi Storey, Emily Franke, Courtney Hislop, Sienna Hubbard, Abby Schroeder, Amélie Bolt, Viktoria Lapikof
1V4: Ashley Ohlemacher (cox), Emma Herstad, Kimberly Klassen, Emilie Rish, Chloe Petersen
2V4: Radhika Ajmera (cox), Paige Keller, Kylie Mong, Sophia Pirigyi, Jaden Deutscher
3V4: Shelby Kaplan (cox), Mary Jane DeWeerdt, Lauren Fiddy, Madeline Fincham, Danna Strohsack
4V4: Katherine Bixby (cox), Emily Franke, Josefine Freltoft, Immy Lovatt, Alexa Fauson
Last Time on the Water
Minnesota rowing opened its 2026-27 season at the 46th Head of the Mississippi Regatta on Oct. 3, earning five victories across six events despite choppy conditions. The Gophers swept the top three spots in the Women's Collegiate 4+ and claimed a decisive win in the Women's Collegiate Freshman 8+, finishing nearly 90 seconds ahead of second-place Creighton. Minnesota also won the Women's Open 2x and Women's Open 2- events. The Maroon and Gold closed the regatta in dominant fashion, recording the four fastest times in the Women's Collegiate 8+. The top boat finished the nearly three-mile course in 15:36.745 to secure the victory.
Gophers Name 2026-27 Team Captains
Minnesota rowing has named seniors Josefine Freltoft (Copenhagen, Denmark) and Kimberly Klassen (Melrose, Minn.), along with junior Emma Herstad (Hermantown, Minn.), team captains for 2026-27. Freltoft returns to a leadership role after serving as a captain last season, while Herstad and Klassen will make their debuts in the position this year. The trio will provide valuable leadership and guidance for the entire Gophers' roster and will help set the tone for the season.
Veteran Lineup
Minnesota enters the 2026-27 season with a veteran-heavy roster, featuring 15 seniors, most of whom have spent all four years of their collegiate careers wearing Maroon and Gold. That experience provides the Gophers with a strong foundation, particularly among the coxswains. Three seniors, Radhika Ajmera, Shelby Kaplan and Ashley Ohlemacher, will help lead the coxswain group, bringing valuable experience and leadership to the boats throughout the campaign.
Coach Strodel Extended
Over the summer, head coach Alicea Strodel agreed to a contract extension that will keep her with the Golden Gophers through the 2029-30 season. She has guided Minnesota rowing for the past seven seasons and under her direction, the program has consistently competed among the Big Ten's top programs, highlighted by a fifth-place finish at the 2024 Big Ten Championship. That was the program's best finish at the conference championship since 2015. Strodel has also helped the Gophers succeed in the classroom where a total of 93 student-athletes earned CRCA Scholar-Athlete honors, while the team has landed 231 Academic All-Big Ten selections and 109 Big Ten Distinguished Scholars during her time on campus.
Hall of Fame Induction for Coach Strodel
Head coach Alicea Strodel was inducted into the Syracuse Alumni Rowing Association Hall of Fame during its annual Evening at Ten Eyck earlier this month. Strodel and her former teammates on Syracuse's 2001 women's varsity eight were honored as the only women's boat in program history to reach the NCAA Championship Grand Finals. Rowing in the six seat, she helped lead the Orange to a perfect 8-0 season that year. She also helped Syracuse make three NCAA Championship appearances and win two BIG EAST Challenges.
The regatta gets underway at 10 a.m. (CT) with approximately 26 Varsity Eights crews followed by 29 boats of Varsity Fours around 11:45 a.m. Boats will launch one at a time, roughly 10-15 seconds apart, in a time trial format to determine the winners. Minnesota will go up against the host Cavaliers, Clemson, George Washington, High Point, North Carolina, and Old Dominion.
Admission is free to the public and parking is available at the Thomas Temple Allan Boathouse on the west bank of the Rivanna Reservoir. The boathouse is the closest point where spectators can see the racing along the 4,000-meter course.
Minnesota's Lineup (subject to change)
1V8: Ashley Ohlemacher (cox), Paige Keller, Jaden Deutscher, Emma Herstad, Kimberly Klassen, Emilie Rish, Kylie Mong, Sophia Pirigyi, Chloe Petersen
2V8: Radhika Ajmera (cox), Mary Jane DeWeerdt, Lauren Fiddy, Madeline Fincham, Danna Strohsack, Kate Fitzpatrick, Josefine Freltoft, Immy Lovatt, Alexa Fauson
3V8: Shelby Kaplan (cox), Lidia Markiewicz, Lexi Storey, Emily Franke, Courtney Hislop, Sienna Hubbard, Abby Schroeder, Amélie Bolt, Viktoria Lapikof
1V4: Ashley Ohlemacher (cox), Emma Herstad, Kimberly Klassen, Emilie Rish, Chloe Petersen
2V4: Radhika Ajmera (cox), Paige Keller, Kylie Mong, Sophia Pirigyi, Jaden Deutscher
3V4: Shelby Kaplan (cox), Mary Jane DeWeerdt, Lauren Fiddy, Madeline Fincham, Danna Strohsack
4V4: Katherine Bixby (cox), Emily Franke, Josefine Freltoft, Immy Lovatt, Alexa Fauson
Last Time on the Water
Minnesota rowing opened its 2026-27 season at the 46th Head of the Mississippi Regatta on Oct. 3, earning five victories across six events despite choppy conditions. The Gophers swept the top three spots in the Women's Collegiate 4+ and claimed a decisive win in the Women's Collegiate Freshman 8+, finishing nearly 90 seconds ahead of second-place Creighton. Minnesota also won the Women's Open 2x and Women's Open 2- events. The Maroon and Gold closed the regatta in dominant fashion, recording the four fastest times in the Women's Collegiate 8+. The top boat finished the nearly three-mile course in 15:36.745 to secure the victory.
Gophers Name 2026-27 Team Captains
Minnesota rowing has named seniors Josefine Freltoft (Copenhagen, Denmark) and Kimberly Klassen (Melrose, Minn.), along with junior Emma Herstad (Hermantown, Minn.), team captains for 2026-27. Freltoft returns to a leadership role after serving as a captain last season, while Herstad and Klassen will make their debuts in the position this year. The trio will provide valuable leadership and guidance for the entire Gophers' roster and will help set the tone for the season.
Veteran Lineup
Minnesota enters the 2026-27 season with a veteran-heavy roster, featuring 15 seniors, most of whom have spent all four years of their collegiate careers wearing Maroon and Gold. That experience provides the Gophers with a strong foundation, particularly among the coxswains. Three seniors, Radhika Ajmera, Shelby Kaplan and Ashley Ohlemacher, will help lead the coxswain group, bringing valuable experience and leadership to the boats throughout the campaign.
Coach Strodel Extended
Over the summer, head coach Alicea Strodel agreed to a contract extension that will keep her with the Golden Gophers through the 2029-30 season. She has guided Minnesota rowing for the past seven seasons and under her direction, the program has consistently competed among the Big Ten's top programs, highlighted by a fifth-place finish at the 2024 Big Ten Championship. That was the program's best finish at the conference championship since 2015. Strodel has also helped the Gophers succeed in the classroom where a total of 93 student-athletes earned CRCA Scholar-Athlete honors, while the team has landed 231 Academic All-Big Ten selections and 109 Big Ten Distinguished Scholars during her time on campus.
Hall of Fame Induction for Coach Strodel
Head coach Alicea Strodel was inducted into the Syracuse Alumni Rowing Association Hall of Fame during its annual Evening at Ten Eyck earlier this month. Strodel and her former teammates on Syracuse's 2001 women's varsity eight were honored as the only women's boat in program history to reach the NCAA Championship Grand Finals. Rowing in the six seat, she helped lead the Orange to a perfect 8-0 season that year. She also helped Syracuse make three NCAA Championship appearances and win two BIG EAST Challenges.
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