SAN DIEGO — University of San Diego women's rowing released its 2026 spring schedule while four Toreros landed on national preseason watch lists as the program surges towards its maiden voyage under head coach Katie Turstin.
 
Spring Racing Schedule Revealed
After a March 7 fixture against UC San Diego, USD's regular season officially kicks off with a top-tier home event, the Toreros will host the San Diego Crew Classic on March 28 and 29, which will bring in top collegiate programs down the hill from America's Most Beautiful Campus, on Mission Bay. 
 
USD will then face off against Wisconsin in nearby Chula Vista on Otay Lake on April 4. A week later, the Toreros will continue to compete on Otay Lake as they stay home for the San Diego City Championships. 
 
The first time USD travels outside of greater San Diego will be to compete in the B1G Invite on April 18 and 19 for two action-packed days of rowing in Sacramento, Calif. against some of the nation's top programs. 
 
The Toreros will then return back to America's Finest City and Otay Lake to compete in the Triton Invite hosted on April 25 and 26. The Toreros round out the regular season in a duel vs. USC in Los Angeles on May 2. 
 
Postseason racing commences for the Toreros at the WCC Championships on May 15 and 16, back on Sacramento's Lake Natoma. USD will aim for an invite to the NCAA DI Women's Rowing National Championships, taking place in Gainesville, Ga., on Lake Lanier.
 
Four Toreros Garner Preseason Recognition
Three USD rowers – junior Leilani Gillespie, senior Lauren Peters and grad Annabelle Ruinet – were tabbed to the For Stars Network 2026 watch list, while a fourth Torero, senior Annika Goodwyn, was named a College Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) 2026 Athlete to Watch Honorable Mention.
 
Goodwyn, an All-WCC honoree for the Toreros a season ago, represented Team Canada in the 2025 Women's Rowing Under-23 Championships in Poland over the summer, earning a bronze medal. 
 
Gillespie, a former Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year in volleyball, transferred from Northeastern as a sophomore last year and competed in seven races as a Torero, working her way up from novice boats in the fall to varsity eights and fours in the spring.
 
Peters is a fourth-year Torero that has become a mainstay in Torero varsity shell linueps. 
 
Ruinet, an English international that transferred from Royal Halloway University, impressed in six events in her first season as a Torero, helping her boats to several podium finishes and victories.