In her first season as volunteer assistant coach (2023), SMU made it three consecutive conference championship with the Mustangs sweeping every race. Lawson along with the rest of the SMU coaching staff were named AAC Coaching Staff of the Year by the conference. At the NCAA Championship, the Mustangs finished in the top three in each of the opening races. The performance sent all three boats to the A/B semifinals for the first time in program history. After qualifying for the petite finals, the 1v8 had the best boat finish in SMU history with a first-place finish in the race, good for a seventh-place national showing. The 1v4 and the 2v8 each finished in the top 11 nationally. As a team, the Mustangs finished in ninth place, the best finish by a Mustang squad and the best showing ever by an AAC program.
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