University of Tennessee Athletics
Cupini Named SEC Co-Coach of the Year, Five Lady Vols Earn All-SEC Honors in Conference’s Inaugural Season of Rowing
May 22, 2025 | Rowing
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – In the inaugural season for Southeastern Conference rowing, head coach Kim Cupini was named the SEC Co-Coach of the Year while five Tennessee rowers were named 2025 All-SEC honorees, the conference announced Thursday.
Alex Pidgeon, Riley Ferdelman, Alice Fahey, Meg Flanagan and Hannah Smith were each named to the 2025 All-SEC Rowing Team, marking a major milestone for both Tennessee and the SEC's newly sponsored sport.
Cupini's honor comes on the heels of another historic season for the Lady Vols in their debut SEC campaign. After earning 2024 Big 12 Coach of the Year accolades in her first season on Rocky Top, she has continued to elevate Tennessee rowing on the national stage in year two. In 2025, the Lady Vols captured three gold medals at the first-ever SEC Championship, posted a clean sweep to win the inaugural Rocky Top Invite, earned head-to-head 1V8 wins over No. 3 Washington, No. 6 Princeton, No. 7 Brown and No. 9 Rutgers.
The Lady Vols recorded a 2K course record time of 5:57.6 on Carnegie Lake in Princeton, New Jersey, on April 26. Tennessee has been ranked inside the top six in all 10 CRCA national polls this season, including eight weeks in the top five and six top-four placements. With a combined 66-9 record among its three NCAA Championship boats, Tennessee has cemented itself as a rising national power under Cupini's leadership.
Tennessee's five All-SEC award recipients have been key pieces of the Lady Vols' powerhouse first varsity eight crew, which has posted an impressive 23-2 record this year. Pidgeon, Ferdelman, Fahey and Flanagan were positioned in the 1V8 for every race up to this point, while Smith was in the 1V8 for all but one race, registering a 23-1 record in that boat and a 23-2 boat record overall.
Together, this group helped guide UT's 1V8 to its quartet of top-10 triumphs this year, knocking off No. 3 Washington, No. 6 Princeton, No. 7 Brown, and No. 9 Rutgers throughout its campaign.
Notable performances by the 1V8 crew this year include clocking an impressive, sub-six time of 5:57.6—the aforementioned Carnegie Lake 2K course record—to take down No. 6 Princeton, No. 10 Syracuse, and No. 16 Ohio State in April.
On the final day of the Big Ten Invitational, the crew used a final time of 6:20.834 to top third-ranked Washington's first varsity eight by nearly two seconds and comfortably ahead of four more top-14 teams in No. 7 Brown, No. 12 Michigan, No. 11 Penn and No. 14 Ohio State. This effort came one day after conquering ninth-ranked Rutgers' 1V8, crossing the line in 6:15.157 to win by over five seconds on April 18.
The UT 1V8 blew past No. 20 North Carolina by more than 22 seconds on day one of the Rocky Top Invite, before winning the A Final ahead of No. 17 UCF and No. 14 Duke on day two of the inaugural event.
During Tuesday's NCAA selection show, the Lady Vols secured three top-eight seeds for a second consecutive year, as Tennessee was tabbed the No. 3 overall seed in the First Eight, the No. 3 seed in the Second Eight and the No. 8 seed in the Four. Tennessee's trio of NCAA Championships crews combine for a stellar 66-9 record this season.
Up next for the Lady Vols are the NCAA Championships, running May 30-June 1 at Lake Mercer in West Windsor, New Jersey.
SEC COACHES OF THE YEAR
Kim Cupini, Tennessee
Dave O'Neill, Texas
2025 ROWING ALL-SEC TEAM
Zoe DeFeo, Alabama
Allison Duff, Oklahoma
Lale Edil, Oklahoma
Caroline Downs, Oklahoma
Alex Pidgeon, Tennessee
Riley Ferdelman, Tennessee
Alice Fahey, Tennessee
Meg Flanagan, Tennessee
Hannah Smith, Tennessee
Amy Werner, Texas
Sue Holderness, Texas
Imy Grey, Texas
Marg Van der Wal, Texas
Ilva Boone, Texas
Phoebe Wise, Texas
Lucy McFarlane, Texas
Lucy Searle, Texas
Abby Dawson, Texas
Alex Pidgeon, Riley Ferdelman, Alice Fahey, Meg Flanagan and Hannah Smith were each named to the 2025 All-SEC Rowing Team, marking a major milestone for both Tennessee and the SEC's newly sponsored sport.
Cupini's honor comes on the heels of another historic season for the Lady Vols in their debut SEC campaign. After earning 2024 Big 12 Coach of the Year accolades in her first season on Rocky Top, she has continued to elevate Tennessee rowing on the national stage in year two. In 2025, the Lady Vols captured three gold medals at the first-ever SEC Championship, posted a clean sweep to win the inaugural Rocky Top Invite, earned head-to-head 1V8 wins over No. 3 Washington, No. 6 Princeton, No. 7 Brown and No. 9 Rutgers.
The Lady Vols recorded a 2K course record time of 5:57.6 on Carnegie Lake in Princeton, New Jersey, on April 26. Tennessee has been ranked inside the top six in all 10 CRCA national polls this season, including eight weeks in the top five and six top-four placements. With a combined 66-9 record among its three NCAA Championship boats, Tennessee has cemented itself as a rising national power under Cupini's leadership.
Tennessee's five All-SEC award recipients have been key pieces of the Lady Vols' powerhouse first varsity eight crew, which has posted an impressive 23-2 record this year. Pidgeon, Ferdelman, Fahey and Flanagan were positioned in the 1V8 for every race up to this point, while Smith was in the 1V8 for all but one race, registering a 23-1 record in that boat and a 23-2 boat record overall.
Together, this group helped guide UT's 1V8 to its quartet of top-10 triumphs this year, knocking off No. 3 Washington, No. 6 Princeton, No. 7 Brown, and No. 9 Rutgers throughout its campaign.
Notable performances by the 1V8 crew this year include clocking an impressive, sub-six time of 5:57.6—the aforementioned Carnegie Lake 2K course record—to take down No. 6 Princeton, No. 10 Syracuse, and No. 16 Ohio State in April.
On the final day of the Big Ten Invitational, the crew used a final time of 6:20.834 to top third-ranked Washington's first varsity eight by nearly two seconds and comfortably ahead of four more top-14 teams in No. 7 Brown, No. 12 Michigan, No. 11 Penn and No. 14 Ohio State. This effort came one day after conquering ninth-ranked Rutgers' 1V8, crossing the line in 6:15.157 to win by over five seconds on April 18.
The UT 1V8 blew past No. 20 North Carolina by more than 22 seconds on day one of the Rocky Top Invite, before winning the A Final ahead of No. 17 UCF and No. 14 Duke on day two of the inaugural event.
During Tuesday's NCAA selection show, the Lady Vols secured three top-eight seeds for a second consecutive year, as Tennessee was tabbed the No. 3 overall seed in the First Eight, the No. 3 seed in the Second Eight and the No. 8 seed in the Four. Tennessee's trio of NCAA Championships crews combine for a stellar 66-9 record this season.
Up next for the Lady Vols are the NCAA Championships, running May 30-June 1 at Lake Mercer in West Windsor, New Jersey.
SEC COACHES OF THE YEAR
Kim Cupini, Tennessee
Dave O'Neill, Texas
2025 ROWING ALL-SEC TEAM
Zoe DeFeo, Alabama
Allison Duff, Oklahoma
Lale Edil, Oklahoma
Caroline Downs, Oklahoma
Alex Pidgeon, Tennessee
Riley Ferdelman, Tennessee
Alice Fahey, Tennessee
Meg Flanagan, Tennessee
Hannah Smith, Tennessee
Amy Werner, Texas
Sue Holderness, Texas
Imy Grey, Texas
Marg Van der Wal, Texas
Ilva Boone, Texas
Phoebe Wise, Texas
Lucy McFarlane, Texas
Lucy Searle, Texas
Abby Dawson, Texas
Players Mentioned
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