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Naroa Zubimendi Varela Season 2023-24

PositionRower
ClassSophomore
HometownIrun, Euskadi, Spain
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Career Honors

  • ACC Crew of the Week (1v8 – April 2, 2024)
  • 2023 All-ACC Academic Team
  • 2024 All-ACC Academic
  • 2025 All-ACC Academic Team
  • 2025 Academic All-District Team
  • 2026 Preseason For Stars Network Top 25 Division I Power Rankings Honorable Mention Rower
  • 2026 ACC Preseason Watch List
  • 2026 All-ACC Second Team Honoree
  • 2026 Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association Scholar-Athlete
  • 2026 All-ACC Academic Team
  • Was Part of the 1V8 crew which won two of three races at the season-opening Oak Ridge Cardinal Invite, including a win over No. 25 Oklahoma
  • Helped the 1V8 post the fastest time among all V8 crews on both days of racing at the Cardinal Invite with a 6:27.91 on Saturday and a 6:30.00 on Sunday
  • Helped Miami place second in the Benderson Cup standings in the 19-team field at the Sarasota 2K Invitational
  • Was part of the crew which posted a second-place finish and a time of 6:40.53 in the Sarasota 2K Invitational 1V8 Grand Final, besting No. 20 North Carolina, No. 15 Dartmouth, SMU and Iowa
  • Helped the 15th-ranked Hurricanes post a third-place finish at the Orlando Invitational ahead of No. 13 Alabama, No. 19 Pennsylvania, No. 24 Oklahoma, Clemson and SMU
  • Rowed with the 1V8 which set a new program record with a time of 6:18.90 during the first day of racing in Orlando. That mark bested the previous Miami record of 6:22.90 that was set during the 2025 ACC Championships
  • Was part of the 1V8 crew that posted a win over No. 15 Alabama, No. 25 Oklahoma, Navy, George Washington, Kansas and Villanova and set a new program record of 6:18.81 on the second day of racing at the Lake Wheeler Invitational. That time broke the crew’s own record of 6:18.90 set earlier in the season at the Orlando Invitational
  • Helped No. 14 Miami total 77 points and post a fifth-place finish at the ACC Championships
  • Posted a time of 6:17.64 during qualifying to help the Hurricanes earn a spot in the Grand Finals of the conference championship regatta and set a new Miami 1V8 record. That mark broke the previous record of 6:18.81 the same crew set earlier in the season at the Lake Wheeler Invitational
  • Crossed the finish line ahead of No. 13 Duke with a time of 6:26.65 in the 1V8 Grand Final at the ACC Championships
  • Helped the Hurricanes total 54 points and post a 13th-place overall finish in the program’s first appearance at the NCAA Championships
  • Crossed the finish line in fourth place ahead of Rhode Island and Massachusetts with a time of 6:09.93 in qualifying to set a new Miami 1V8 record and advance to the C/D Semifinals at the NCAA Championships. That time broke the previous program record of 6:17.64 set by the 1V8 earlier in the season at the ACC Championships
  • Posted a time of 6:21.23 and finished ahead of Northeastern, Boston University, and Massachusetts in the C/D semifinals to earn a berth in the C Finals
  • Capped a historic season by helping Miami cross the finish line with a time of 6:02.54 in the C Finals of the NCAA Championships. That set a new 1V8 program record, breaking the mark the same crew set during qualifying earlier in the weekend
  • Named to the 2024 All-ACC Academic Team
  • 2024 CRCA National Scholar
  • Competed with the 1v8 boat for the entirety of the season
  • Turned in a time of 6:35.5 at the Lake Dexter Invite against No. 20 Oregon State and Washington State March 23
  • Helped the Canes to a first place time in the second heat of the 1v8 at the Sunshine State Invite with a mark of 7:06.34
  • Brought Miami to a first place time and big points at the finals of the Sunshine State Invite with a time of 6:3369, defeating Iowa, Tulsa, UCF, Boston College, Michigan State, UNC and Drexel
  • Crossed the line first at the Lake Natoma Invite in the morning session (6:43.1), defeating Sacramento State (6:46.8) and LMU (6:50.3)
  • Defeated UCLA in the afternoon session at the Lake Natoma Invite in Sacramento, posting a mark of 6:52.7
  • Posted a top-three time on the first day of the Lake Wheeler Invite, finishing in 6:51.613 to defeat Boston College, Tulsa and Kansas
  • Closed Lake Wheeler with a top-three mark of 6:42.570, defeating Alabama, Iowa and Boston
  • Set a program record with a mark of 6:34.427 in the first varsity eight grand final at the ACC Championships
  • All-ACC Academic Team honoree…Competed in the 2v8 for a majority of the season…Rowed the V8 – A Boat to a first-place finish at the Head of the Indian Creek in a time of 13:36.54
  • Competed in the Pair A boat at the Head of the Black Warrior River, finishing seventh in a time of 19:45.00
  • Helped the 2v8 to a first-place showing against Stetson, crossing the finish line in a time of 6:51.5
  • Participated in Miami’s scrimmage against Rochester as a member of the V8 – B Boat…Placed first in the 2v8 in a quad-race against Jacksonville, UCF and UConn with a time of 7:05.40
  • Propelled the 2v8 to a second-place finish in the Grand Final of the Sunshine State Invite, finishing in a time of 6:36.33
  • Competed in the 2v8 at the Michigan State Invite, finishing first in both heat races, highlighted by a 6:43.84 time in heat one
  • Rowed the 2v8 to its second-fastest 2,000-meter time of the season at the Lake Wheeler Invite, crossing the finish line in a time of 6:36.440 in heat two of the first round
  • Moved up to the 1v8 for the ACC Championship, placing fourth in the 1v8 Grand Final with a time of 6:34.211
  • Graduated from Ies Pio Baroja Institutoa
  • Rowed for S.D. Santiagotarrak on the 2-, 4-, 4x, and 8+ boats… 2022 1st place AbsW 2- Spanish National Championship – 2000m
  • 2022 1st place AbsW 2- Spanish National Championship – 6000m… 2022 1st place SubW 2- Spanish Trial Championship – 2000m
  • 2022 3rd place AbsW 4x Spanish National Championship- 200m… 2022 8th place SubW 4- World Rowing Championship- 2000m
  • 2021 2nd place JW 2- Spanish National Championship – 6000m… 2021 2nd place JW 2- Spanish National Championship – 2000m
  • 2021 2nd place JW 2- Spanish Trial Championship – 2000m
  • 2021 8th place JW 2- World Rowing Championship – 2000m.
  • 2020 4th place JW 2- European Championship – 2000m
  • 2020 1st place JW 2- Spanish National Championship – 2000m
  • 2020 1st place JW 2- Spanish National Championship – 6000m
  • Daughter of Ignacio Zubimendi Ortega and Ainhoa Varela Erasun
  • Has one brother, Ekain Zubimendi Varela
  • Intends to major in Biomedical Engineering
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Senior
2025-26

Rower
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Junior
2024-25

Rower
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Freshman
2022-23

Rower