Lily Wood & Chiara Saccomando Named To CRCA Athletes To Watch List
Feb 16 | Women's Rowing
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Senior Lily Wood was named a Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) Athlete to Watch and junior Chiara Saccomando was selected to the honorable mention list, it was announced by the organization on Monday.
The Scarlet Knight duo are among the 23 watch list and nine honorable mention selections across Division I.
Both Wood and Saccomando were members of Rutgers' Varsity 8 that were runner-up in the petite final and eighth overall at the 2025 NCAA Championships and runner-up at the Big Ten Championships, helping the Scarlet Knights take second place for the program's highest team finish.
Wood, a native of Chester, United Kingdom, was a CRCA Second Team All-American and First Team All-Big Ten member last season. Additionally, she was a gold medalist with Great Britain in the Women's 8 at the U23 World Championships in Poland.
Saccomando, a native of Freiburg, Germany, was Second Team All-Big Ten and named Rutgers Athletics' Sophomore of the Year in 2025. She also finished fourth with Germany's Women's 8 at the U23 World Championships in Poland.
Rutgers women's rowing was ranked No. 9 in the Preseason Pocock CRCA Poll released last week.
The Scarlet Knights are coming off a historic 2025 season that saw RU place eighth in their sixth-straight NCAA Championship appearance, win a program-record six medals with a program-best runner-up finish at the Big Ten Championships and capture the Island Challenge Cup at the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta.
The Rutgers women's rowing team will scrimmage Temple on March 14 on the Raritan River before opening the 2026 campaign with the Doc Hosea Invitational in Cherry Hill, New Jersey on March 29. The Scarlet Knights will also participate in the Ivy League Invitational on April 11 in Princeton, New Jersey, the Big Ten Invitational in Gold River, California, on April 18-19 and the Women's Sprints in Worcester, Massachusetts, on May 3. The 2026 Big Ten Championships will be held on May 16-17 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The 2026 NCAA Championships will take place on May 29-31 in Gainesville, Georgia.
Follow Rutgers women's rowing on Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Scarlet Knight duo are among the 23 watch list and nine honorable mention selections across Division I.
Both Wood and Saccomando were members of Rutgers' Varsity 8 that were runner-up in the petite final and eighth overall at the 2025 NCAA Championships and runner-up at the Big Ten Championships, helping the Scarlet Knights take second place for the program's highest team finish.
Wood, a native of Chester, United Kingdom, was a CRCA Second Team All-American and First Team All-Big Ten member last season. Additionally, she was a gold medalist with Great Britain in the Women's 8 at the U23 World Championships in Poland.
Saccomando, a native of Freiburg, Germany, was Second Team All-Big Ten and named Rutgers Athletics' Sophomore of the Year in 2025. She also finished fourth with Germany's Women's 8 at the U23 World Championships in Poland.
Rutgers women's rowing was ranked No. 9 in the Preseason Pocock CRCA Poll released last week.
The Scarlet Knights are coming off a historic 2025 season that saw RU place eighth in their sixth-straight NCAA Championship appearance, win a program-record six medals with a program-best runner-up finish at the Big Ten Championships and capture the Island Challenge Cup at the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta.
The Rutgers women's rowing team will scrimmage Temple on March 14 on the Raritan River before opening the 2026 campaign with the Doc Hosea Invitational in Cherry Hill, New Jersey on March 29. The Scarlet Knights will also participate in the Ivy League Invitational on April 11 in Princeton, New Jersey, the Big Ten Invitational in Gold River, California, on April 18-19 and the Women's Sprints in Worcester, Massachusetts, on May 3. The 2026 Big Ten Championships will be held on May 16-17 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The 2026 NCAA Championships will take place on May 29-31 in Gainesville, Georgia.
Follow Rutgers women's rowing on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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