Marg van der Wal and Nike Utesch of the Texas Longhorns women’s rowing team received Southeastern Conference (SEC) weekly honors, the league office announced on April 16. Van der Wal was named SEC Rower of the Week, while Utesch earned SEC Freshman of the Week.
These awards mark van der Wal’s second career selection as SEC Rower of the Week and Utesch’s first career weekly accolade. Van der Wal, who was named SEC Rower of the Year in 2025, last received this honor on April 16, 2025.
Van der Wal and Utesch are now the third and fourth Texas rowers to earn conference weekly recognition this season, joining teammates Abby Dawson and Leila Gaston. Both athletes contributed to a strong week for Texas Rowing in Big Ten territory, where they led their team to ten race victories against No. 24 Indiana on April 9 and No. 19 Michigan on April 11.
The Longhorns have maintained an undefeated record this season after sweeping all competition at the San Diego Crew Classic held March 28-29. Van der Wal guided Texas’ I Eight crew to an open-water victory over Michigan with a time of 6:15.800 compared to Michigan’s finish at 6:33.100, and also helped secure a win against Indiana with a time of 6:35.500 versus Indiana’s runner-up finish at 6:57.900.
Utesch assisted Texas’ II Eight crew in securing a win over Michigan with a time of 6:32.100—faster than even Michigan’s I Eight—and contributed to another victory over Indiana by finishing in 6:51.700 compared to Indiana’s second-place time of 7:18.00.
Texas will conclude its regular season competing against No.1 Stanford on April 25.
