PITTSBURGH - This past Saturday, the Duquesne Dukes welcomed the Robert Morris Colonials to the Allegheny River for their final matchup of the season before next weekend's Atlantic 10 Championship. 

The conditions on the river were highly variable, with the weather at the start line sometimes very different than the weather at the finish line. Featuring a little bit of everything: sun, sleet, rain with a quartering headwind at 11mph gusting to 17mph which increased to 15mph gusting to 21mph at the end of racing. The flow in the river was 31,800 cfs, which added an additional variable for the rowers to handle. With so many variables in play, it was up to the crews to handle both the conditions and the racing in order to come out ahead.
 
The first crew to step up to the challenge was the third Varsity / Novice 8+. With one race under their belts, the Duquesne Crew looked to pick up where it left off the previous week and make a statement off the start line. The Dukes had a clean and mistake-free start, which let them build an early lead that they would build on the rest of the course. Leading the race from wire-to-wire, Duquesne grabbed a 23-second victory over the Colonials.
 
Next out on the course was the Varsity 4, looking to build off their strong performance last week. Two 4s from Robert Morris lined up against the Dukes at the start. Immediately, after their start and the 4 settled to their race cadence, Duquesne earned a lead over Robert Morris B. Building off of that lead, the Dukes would stretch it to an open water lead over Robert Morris B and then open water on Robert Morris A, finishing 23 seconds ahead of Robert Morris A as well as 37.6 seconds ahead of Robert Morris B.
 
Following the Varsity 4s race, Duquesne's second Varsity 8 lined up for a head-to-head battle with Robert Morris' second Varsity 8. A relatively close battle off the start line, the Dukes and Colonials fought each other hard through the first half of the race, with Robert Morris half a boat length ahead of Duquesne at the 1000m mark. Coming in toward the finish, the Dukes were the first to call up its sprint and in doing so, closed the Colonials' lead down to about two seats, but Robert Morris responded to the challenge, dialing up a sprint of its own and reclaiming their lost seats plus a few more, earning a hard-fought seven-second victory over the Dukes. 
 
The final race of the day would also prove to be the closest race of the day by far. Duquesne and the Colonials lined up in the Varsity 8 race, and at the start, the Dukes gained an early advantage. Robert Morris responded well and battled back into the thick of things. As the boats fought toward the halfway mark, neither was able to gain an advantage on the other for more than a stroke or two, before the other bowball would creep out in front. Approaching the finish line, Duquesne's coxswain called out the sprint first and gained a two-seat lead, to which the Colonials responded with a sprint of their own and drew even. The race came down to the last stroke; Robert Morris hit the finish line on the drive phase of their stroke, Duquesne on the recovery phase, which earned Robert Morris a 0.4 second victory over Duquesne in an incredibly tight and hard-fought race.
 
Head coach Jenn Langzettel: "We were very grateful to have Robert Morris come to us for a final home race. All boats had solid performances and it was a great tune up race ahead of our A-10 Championship. Being home also gave is a great opportunity to celebrate our seniors and their years of hard work with the team. I look forward to making this Pittsburgh rivalry something we can look forward to every spring."
 
NEXT UP 
This weekend, the Dukes are set to travel to the Atlantic 10 Championship on the Cooper River in Pennsauken, N.J. For more information on the conference championship, CLICK HERE. 
  

RESULTS 

Varsity 8
RMU – 6:02.7
DU – 6:03.1
 
2nd Varsity 8
RMU – 6:40.6
DU – 6:46.0
 
Varsity 4
DU – 6:40.7
RMU A – 7:03.5
RMU B – 7:18.3
 
3rd Varsity 8 / Novice 8
DU – 6:49.0
RMU – 7:12.0
 

DUQUESNE LINEUP
 
Varsity 8
Coxswain: Elizabeth Kuhn
8: Julia Stoll
7: Payton Campbell
6: Rebecca Swanson
5: Emma Halfacre
4: Madison Barker
3: Mikayla Bayto
2: Jillian Peters
1: Brigid Haugh
 
2nd Varsity 8
Coxswain: Ellen Wenzinger
8: Hannah Straub
7: Kayla Eads
6: Caroline Redd
5: Celia Gambacorta
4: Hannah Peake
3: Rebecca McCallin
2: Britta Wheeler
1: Isabella Abbott
 
Varsity 4
Coxswain: Catherine Egan
4: Megan McMahon
3: Hannah Valenty
2: Sarah Ricketts
1: Kathryn Ackerman
 
3rd Varsity / Novice 8
Coxswain: Julia Laurie
8: Aynslee Sibley
7: Sydney Bivens
6: Mikaela Nestel
5: Grace Yeretzian
4: Caitlin DeStefano
3: Kelly Ardrey
2: Lydia Grimaldi
1: Michaela Bosworth