Rowing Ready to Compete at ACC Championships

CLEMSON, S.C. – Just over seven months after the University of Miami rowing team competed in their first exhibition of the 2024-25 season, the Hurricanes are set to take part in the ACC Championships, as they aim to compete against some of the premier programs in the country.

Miami has faced ups and downs throughout the 2024-25 campaign; however, it all comes down to the next two days, as the Canes have a challenging slate ahead with seven of the 12 teams competing in the event ranked within the top-25 in the nation.

Miami had a noteworthy performance in the ACC Championships last season, setting numerous program records en route to a respectable fifth-place finish at the event. 

One of the most significant highlights from the 2024 ACC Championships included Miami’s First Varsity Eight crossing the finish line in a record time of 6:23.427, as the Canes defeated Clemson in the Grand Finals. 

Jovana Stanivuk was a key member of the First Varsity Eight crew last year as a sophomore, and she is back and more prepared than ever for this year’s event. 

The junior from Curug, Serbia has lofty expectations for her third conference championships for both herself and for the team overall. 

“When I go up to the start line, I always expect myself to give everything that I have at that moment,” said Stanivuk. “I am coming with a clear goal, I feel ready, prepared, and I know what I need to do.” 

Stanivuk believes that this season and all the races that they have competed in has done a great job of preparing them for the biggest moment of the year. 

“As a team this year, we’ve been through both good and bad races, but I feel like that has prepared us and that everyone is ready to go and to give their absolute best.”

Coming to Miami from Serbia, Stanivuk was initially unfamiliar with the idea of a conference championship and what exactly that meant. Now after having two ACC Championship races under her belt, both of which she competed with Miami’s First Varsity Eight, Stanivuk believes her experience has become a notable advantage, as she now knows what to expect and what it entails to compete in this event.

“I’m international and when I first got here, I didn’t really understand the concept of being in a conference and having conference championships. My first time here, I was really focused on myself, and I didn’t really think about the external factors as much. I didn’t fully understand what exactly the conference championship entailed, but this being my third one and knowing what the deal is, it really helps with my confidence and preparation. I feel much more prepared and that I can really help and guide my teammates.”

The winner of the ACC Championships will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals and Miami will likely need to earn that automatic bid in order to keep their season alive after this weekend. Knowing that they likely need to win in order to make the NCAA Regionals adds mounted pressure; but, Stanivuk emphasized how she is focused on putting forth her best effort and that is the most important thing to both her and the team.

“When you race, I know that the best thing you can do is to give 100 percent effort. No matter what the results are, if you know that you left your heart out there and gave everything that you had, for me that’s the biggest accomplishment. In this moment, it’s important to go beyond your limits and go as hard as you possibly can.”

Stanivuk credits her teammates for her continued development this season, in addition to a more challenging slate which has consistently pushed the Canes, as they have faced a strenuous schedule.

“We gained some strong internationals this year who have been successful at the World Championships and having them on the team helped me to be even more motivated. Our team is full of hard workers and when I am surrounded by powerful strong people it really helps me to be even more serious and to push myself harder.”

Looking back on the season, Miami has faced stiff competition throughout the entire campaign leading up to the conference championships. The Canes’ rowing program has continued to build notoriety on a national level and in turn has continually been invited to compete in more challenging events. Stanivuk particularly enjoyed the opportunity to compete at the Big 10 Invitational earlier this spring, and she hopes that Miami continues to earn more challenging opportunities against stiffer competition, as they aim to further strengthen the program.

“I feel like this year was very serious and we got to compete against such strong teams all year. It has been so fun, and it has reminded me of being back home because I’ve competed in the World Championships and the European Championships and those are the races that you remember for your whole life, and we’ve had so many of those races this season. I really like the idea of us improving as a team and it makes me really excited. I love racing and I really love challenging races, and this season has provided those opportunities for us.”

Stanivuk and the rest of the Hurricanes will face arguably their most challenging competition yet, as four of the seven ranked teams at the ACC Championships are currently ranked within the top-13 in the country, including Stanford who is currently No. 1 the nation. Despite the daunting slate of teams, the Hurricanes feel prepared and ready to compete at a high level against some of the top programs in the country. 

The ACC Championships will take place at Lake Hartwell in Clemson, S.C., with preliminary heats scheduled to begin Friday morning at 8:05 a.m. The event will continue Saturday, with the Petite Finals beginning at 8:05 a.m., followed by the Grand Finals. The event will be available for viewing on ACCNX.