Last year, SMU rowing got a glimpse of what could be.
Limited by COVID-related restrictions, the Mustangs got the chance to centralize their focus on academics and athletics. The result was the program's first-ever conference championship and a top 15 finish at the NCAA Championships.
That effort propelled the team to want more.
"Even though it was really hard, (COVID) just forced us all to really buckle down and understand the level of commitment and the amount of sacrifices we would all need to make to make it work," senior Peyton Matthews said. "I think we all took everything we learned from that year and really implemented that into our values and just how we operate as a team this year. Everybody was just ready to be fully committed and really do whatever we needed to do and be flexible and adaptable to continue to move up in the rankings and have the performances we've had."
As they head to Oak Ridge, Tennessee looking to defend their American Athletic Conference title on Sunday, the Mustangs are eager to make a bigger splash in the upcoming postseason.
Ranked 12th in the Pocock Collegiate Rowing Association Polls, SMU has stood toe-to-toe with some of the nation's elite competition throughout the year.
During duel events, Mustangs battled hard with No. 1 Texas and beat a Minnesota squad that is just outside that top 20. Between the Pac-12 and Longhorn invitationals in April, SMU faced half of the nation's ranked opponents, including No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Stanford, No. 7 Washington, No. 8 Penn, No. 9 Ohio State, No. 10 Cal, No. 13 Oregon State, No. 15 Southern Cal, No. 16 Virginia and No. 19 Washington State.
Along the way, various varsity teams of eight or four picked up several wins and top four finishes while remaining in contention during other races.
"I think racing against so many ranked teams this year was great preparation, and a reality check with how close races can be the closer you get to the top," senior Victoria Franklin said. "I think the team is very confident heading into conference as we know how good we are and how good we can be, but we know anything can happen in our race so we need to stay internal and focus on what we know we can do."
Now, it's a matter of piecing everything together at the right time.
While Central Florida is the only other AAC team mentioned in the CRCA Polls, the Mustangs know they have a challenge ahead. Winning the league is another step to reaching the NCAA field and continuing to reset the standard of excellence. SMU's 11th place finish at the NCAA Rowing Championships was the highest ever by an AAC team.
Last season was a good starting point. Now, the Mustangs are simply focused on getting to the finish line quicker.
"We've been training since August, and it has paid off and we are setting ourselves up very well for the conference championship," Matthews said. "But, I wouldn't say anybody is feeling overly confident. I think everyone is going in knowing it's going to be tight this year. We're all going in expecting a dog fight and anything less is a win."
