GAINESVILLE, Ga. – Nicole Wyszynski has plenty of experience with demanding sports.

At Clifton High School, she was a two-sport athlete, competing with both the cross country team and the track and field team. And when she arrived at Miami to start her college journey, she joined a triathlon club to continue challenging herself and stay in shape.

But it didn’t take long for Wyszynski to realize that while the club was fun, it wasn’t nearly as competitive or challenging as she hoped it might be. So, when she saw information about a tryout opportunity with the Hurricanes rowing team, Wyszynski was intrigued.

She’d never rowed. She knew she’d have a lot to learn. But after attending an informational meeting with Miami’s coaches and staff, she knew she was all in.

“I wanted the structure and I just liked the work, honestly,” Wyszynski said. “I liked working out and being on a team and everything that comes with that.”

Wyszynski eventually made the rowing team as a novice and now, three years later, she and her teammates will make history when the 13^th-ranked Hurricanes make the program’s first appearance at the NCAA Championships, which begin Friday at the Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Georgia.

“This is super special, especially since I joined this team as a novice,” Wyszynski said. “I walked on, never having rowed before. So, to learn everything about the sport and watching the team grow from my sophomore year to now, seeing how everyone has committed to doing the work, this year especially, we’ve all been showing up every day, excited to work. And I think that mentality has brought us here. It’s super special.”

The Hurricanes enter the NCAA Championships after what is arguably the most successful regular season in program history.

Miami has climbed steadily in the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association Top 25, achieving multiple program highs in the rankings, including the No. 13 spot it currently holds.

The Hurricanes have notched eight wins over top 25 opponents and four over top 15 opponents.

Two rowers – seniors Naroa Zubimendi Varela and Jovana Stanivuk – earned All-ACC recognition after Miami’s fifth-place finish at the conference championship regatta earlier this month and the Hurricanes have set nine new school records across multiple boats this year.

Their efforts have been the culmination of months of work and preparation and while the Hurricanes are plenty excited about being the first team to represent Miami at this level, they’re not content with merely earning an at-large berth at the national championship.

They want to show they belong among the nation’s best.

“On one hand, it’s an incredible historical achievement, one that’s never been done before and it rightfully belongs in the history books,” Hurricanes head coach James Mulcahy said. “They’ll get to put up their NCAA appearance banner and that’s a really big deal. They’ll get to inspire every future generation of Miami rowers as the first to have done this and will show that it’s possible and that will unlock even bigger and better achievements in the future.

“On the other hand, though, this is the standard we want to set. It’s what we now expect of them and it’s what we’ll expect of future groups. The job’s still not done. We didn’t do this just for the cool moment of having our name called on the Selection Show. We’re more motivated to go and line up against the best teams in the country and see where we stand and see what we can learn from it.”

The Hurricanes echoed their coach’s sentiments.

Senior coxswain Maria Mastrando has been a part of Miami’s program since her freshman year and has watched it grow throughout her time as a Hurricane.

For her, having the chance to show the nation the kind of progress the program has made is extremely personal.

“I think for a lot of the years I’ve been here, at least since my freshman year, it was always seen as kind of like a fluke whenever Miami had a good race and I think we’re out here to showcase that it’s not a fluke,” Mastrando said. “We are a fast team and someone to be taken seriously. I know that’s something a lot of the girls want to show and it’s something we’ve really pushed for every day at practice.”

Added fellow senior Samantha Premerl, “I think we’re very focused as a team. We really just want to demonstrate how we’ve worked so well throughout the whole season. … This is a big opportunity to race against all these teams. There’s people from all around the world and some of the best people all in one boat. It’s exciting. … I think I saw something even in Tennessee, at our first race [at the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational]. We were determined to show that we’re a different team from other years. That we’re strong and we want to be known.”

The Hurricanes know they’ll be tested at this weekend’s championships.

Seventeen of the 22 teams in the field are ranked in the most recent CRCA Top 25.

Second-seeded Texas and third-seeded Stanford – the two-time defending ACC champions – have combined to win every Division I championship since 2021, while ninth-seeded Washington won titles in 2019 and 2017.

Top-seeded and top-ranked Tennessee, meanwhile, won the SEC championships and is making its 12^th appearance at the NCAA Championships, including its fourth appearance in the last six years.

There will be plenty of speed across all the heats that race on Lake Lanier on Friday, and the Hurricanes will look to not just hold their own but continue building on their success.

And, they hope, they’ll set a new standard to inspire every Miami rower that comes after them.

“I hope they see how much of a team effort this was, top to bottom. Walk-ons and recruits, everyone had a part in it, and I hope they see that and work together, have that good team culture that we’ve had and work hard through the workouts,” Wyszynski said. “Those workouts are long. It’s like two, three hours on the water, so when you’re sitting in the boat, super tired, you just have to think to yourself that it’s all worth it. One brick in the wall at a time.”

Added Premerl, “I think all of us want to grow. There’s so much excitement to get better and be better. … And as a senior, I want to be an inspiration for the other girls coming in, to be part of the change for them and be an example for them. We’re making history and it’s amazing.”