FAIRFIELD, Conn. – While the Fall of 2025 provided the Fairfield University rowing teams with a solid platform on which to build, the Stags will now concentrate on preparing for competition that should be both formidable and challenging this spring.

The teams enjoyed a solid Fall campaign that saw strong performances at such events like the Head of the Charles and the Head of the Schuylkill. But winter slowly surrenders to spring,  both the men's and women's rowing teams prepare for another slate of events that will send both programs against some of the best not only in the region but in the nation.

Even though there are two seasons to the rowing calendar, there is still that time in between that keeps rowers sharp. Winter training only helps bridge the time gap between the fall and spring seasons and is certainly a time that the men's and women's teams take quite seriously.

"The fall season was an extremely productive and important period for our program, laying the foundation for what we expect to carry into the championship season this spring," Men's Rowing Head Coach Steve Baranoski said. "Our primary focus in the fall was on development, and I've been encouraged by the progress we've made. Winter training has continued to build on that momentum, focusing on strength, aerobic capacity, and mental toughness."

Both programs announced their 2026 spring schedule which pretty much mirror one another with a couple exceptions. The Stags will open the spring with a trip to Ridgefield, N.J. for the Jesuit Invitational, the season opener which is slated for March 21.

Both squads will be in Bethlehem, Pa. for the Mountain Hawk Invitational, an event hosted by Lehigh University on March 28. And, the two programs will join one another to compete at the Knecht Cup in Pennsauken, N.J. on April 11 and 12.

From there, the 2026 slate will send the two programs on different paths for the second half of the spring campaign. On April 25^th, the men will head to Poughkeepsie for a tri-meet with host Marist University and Colgate University, while the women will stay local for a four-team event in Shelton which includes Stetson University, Monmouth University, and Sacred Heart University.

The women's program return to the water for a match up against MAAC foe Marist University on May 3, while the men will compete later that week by traveling to the Dad Vail Regatta on May 8 and 9. The spring season culminates with each team's respective championship with women looking to defend its MAAC title on May 17 in Pennsauken. The men will look to finish up their slate at the IRA Championship in Sacramento, Calif. on May 29-31.

Last spring, the women's rowing team captured its second MAAC championship, but last year's title came with an automatic berth to the NCAA championship, the first national appearance for the women's program. So not only did Head Coach Dr. David Patterson have the responsibility of preparing his rowers for the 2026 season, but he also needed to prepare his team to return to the action as a defending champion.

"The women's schedule is a mixture of hard and really hard competition that we need to challenge ourselves to prepare for our defense of the MAAC title," Coach Patterson said. "Winning a championship is extremely hard. Defending a championship is harder as this time our competition is coming at us with their eyes wide open. We are clearly aware that we need to reset our own bar because what got us to NCAAs in 2025 will not get us to NCAAs in 2026. We too have our eyes wide open."

So, with full awareness on the part of both the men's and women's rowing teams, the Stags will look to take their successful Fall campaign and turn those achievements into even more accomplishments and accolades throughout the coming months.