Miami University have had a historic season, but their Henley Royal Regatta debut is about more than firsts. As graduating seniors mark the end of their journey, and freshmen start theirs, the programme is building a legacy they hope will last, founded on years of hard work and realised dreams they never thought possible.
Walking around Henley Royal Regatta this week, the bright cream of Miami University’s brand-new blazers stands out among the crowds. There are only around 40 of them in existence, and every one belongs to someone who has helped write a new chapter in the programme's history. Wear one, and you are distinguished as a dreamer who believed this moment was possible long before it became reality.
This summer has been one of many firsts for rowing at Miami. The American programme qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time in their history, before making their Henley Royal Regatta debut with two women's eights, racing one for The Island Challenge Cup and one for The Bridge Challenge Plate.
"Henley has been my dream since I started rowing. Knowing this could be one of my last rows, and that we're here making history for Miami, I couldn't ask for anything better."
For senior Jovana Stanivuk, the achievement represents the culmination of four years of hard work.
"When I arrived, our head coach had just started. None of this happened overnight. Every year we looked at what we'd done well, what we'd done wrong and how we could improve. You wake up every day at 4.30 am, go to practice and give everything you have. Every year we came close, and this year it finally happened."
As one of several graduating seniors, this will be her final regatta before retiring from the sport, making the occasion especially poignant.
"Henley has been my dream since I started rowing. Going for a paddle, knowing this could be one of my last rows, and that we're here making history for Miami, I couldn't ask for anything better.
And yet, while this week's crews are making history on the water, they are equally conscious of the foundations laid by those who came before them.
Freshman Scarlett Pringle described joining a programme that was building towards something bigger.
"There are girls that had such a huge impact on the programme and helped us become what we are right now."
"For us as freshmen, it's bittersweet saying goodbye, but the road they’ve left us is bright ahead, and we’re just going to continue to build off that."
That sense of shared ownership extends well beyond the athletes themselves. Miami's rise has been fuelled not just by their athlete’s dreams, but by coaches, alumni, and donors who have invested in the programme's long-term vision.
"When I first came, we didn't even have a rowing facility. We trained in the volleyball gym."
Since then, donors have helped fund new boats, new equipment and a dedicated rowing facility, while alumni have continued to support the programme from afar.
For the club, Henley Royal Regatta was never simply another international race. The opportunity to race on one of rowing's most iconic stretches was itself part of the reward. They had a tough draw, with The Island crew facing a fierce Cambridge University ‘A’ crew on Thursday, and The Bridge crew drawing event favourites Molesey & University of London on Friday. But they remain positive.
"Maybe in five or ten years we'll all come back here and watch another Miami crew race. And we'll know we were there at the beginning."
"We'd rather race the best British crews than race another American crew; that's why we've come to Henley Royal Regatta."
Seeded straight through to the quarter-finals of The Bridge Challenge Plate, Miami have already shown they belong among the international field. But regardless of what happens next, the significance of this week reaches beyond a single race, for cox Scarlett.
"When I was choosing universities, I could have gone somewhere with an already established programme. My dad asked me if I wanted to be a little fish in a big pond, or if I wanted to be part of building something special. The coaches painted a picture of what Miami could become, and we all bought into it.”
"Now we've rewritten history."
For Jovana, whose collegiate rowing career will end on the Henley course this week, there is comfort in knowing the story will continue without her.
"It feels special knowing you've created something that's going to last," she said. "Maybe in five or ten years we'll all come back here and watch another Miami crew race. And we'll know we were there at the beginning."
