PHILADELPHIA - The Duquesne Dukes traveled out to the banks of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia to participate in the 51^st running of the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta. For over 160 years, athletes have been racing their boats in the Schuylkill Rowing Basin, and the Duquesne athletes were eager to add another chapter to the history of the racecourse. On an absolutely spectacular, warm, sun-drenched, nearly windless day, the Dukes launched out for their first race of the day, the Women's Championship 4+.
 
In the Women's Championship 4+s, Duquesne had three entries, bow numbers 289, 294, and 311. As the boats proceeded down the racecourse, Bow#289, stroked by Mikaela Nestel, passed a boat from Delaware right in front of a crowd of enthusiastic Duquesne supporters. Bow #294 had some quick boats to follow; the boats staring directly between them and Bow#289 finished top 14 or higher, but they were able to push out on Thomas Jefferson University and row an aggressive race, with coxswain Rory Brouillard gaining insight for her 8+ race later in the day. Bow #311 had a solid row, their goal being to improve on how they rowed at Head of the Ohio, and they demonstrated that with a month of work, they could make improvements, and learned a lot for the experience. In the race of 52 boats, Bow #294 came in 16^th, Bow# 289 came in 20^th, and Bow #311 came in 52^nd.
 
The next race of the day for the Dukes was the Women's Freshman 8+. The Freshman 8+ is always a fun race for the Freshmen to get out on the river and demonstrate how well they've come together as a class since they arrived on campus in August. Straight off the start, the Duquesne Freshmen worked through the Bryn Mawr Owls as they passed the Duquesne boat trailer, as a cheering section hailed their advance. Further down the course, the Dukes would catch Catholic University as well as Stockton University, and their feisty charge down the Schuylkill earned the Freshman 8+ a 2^nd place Silver Medal, out of 16 crews.
 
After a quick lunch break, the Dukes returned to racing with three entries taking the course in the Women's Club Championship 8+s. In the race, Duquesne held bow numbers 521, 528, and 532. Off the start line and approaching the Duquesne trailer, Bow# 521, stroked by Bridget Abbott, pushed ahead of Catholic University with a cheer from the parents and athletes on shore. Further down the course, Bow #521 would also overtake a crew from A10 rival Fordham. Similarly, Bow #528, stroked by Natalie Hesch, was quickly tracking down local rivals University of Pittsburgh as they went by the Duquesne fans, eventually catching and passing the Panthers before the finish line. Bow # 532 started behind a Robert Morris boat that finished 15^th, but also were able to push away from Iona University behind them, and run down Susquehanna University before the finish line. All boats came off the water happy with their races, and for their efforts, Bow #521 earned 13^th of 46, Bow #528 25^th of 46, and Bow #532 34^th of 46.
 
In the final race of the day, the Duquesne Dukes launched for the most challenging race of the day, the Women's Championship 8+. Starting directly behind the Dukes were the Drexel Dragons, who had, the weekend prior, won the Women's Club 8+ at the Head of the Charles regatta. As Duquesne passed by a raucous Dukes cheering section, the Dragons were hot on their stern. Coxswain Elizabeth Kuhn pressed her rowers for more, and gave the HOCR champions a strong 300m battle before they broke free of Duquesne's bow ball, en route to a first place finish. Beyond Drexel, no other boats walked past the Duquesne 8+, and likely because of that strong push from Drexel at the start, Duquesne took home a 6^th place finish, 0.4 seconds over Villanova and 1.2 seconds ahead of A10 rivals LaSalle.
 
When asked about his thoughts on the performance of the team, Duquesne Head Coach Matt Carlsen said "Today was another big step forward in speed. We were able to beat some of our A-10 opponents and be close in times to others. The freshmen coming away with a silver medal is huge for us along with all of our eights performing significantly better than they did a year ago. This is the kind of momentum we want heading into the winter months. We will continue to stay hungry and continue to build confidence as the sky is the limit in what we can accomplish this spring."
 
The Dukes will return to action once more this fall season, with a race between Duquesne, Carnegie Mellon, Pitt, and West Virginia, back out on the Allegheny River, on Saturday, November 11^th.
 

Results:
Full Results
 
Women's Championship 4+:

• Bow #294: 16^th of 52
• Bow #289: 20^th of 52
• Bow #311: 52^nd of 52

Women's College Freshman/Novice 8+

• 2^nd of 16

Women's Club Championship 8+:

• Bow #521: 13^th of 46
• Bow #528: 25^th of 46
• Bow #534: 34^th of 46

Women's Championship 8+:

• 6^th of 10

 
Lineups:
Women's Championship 4+
Bow #289
Coxswain: Elizabeth Kuhn
Stroke: Mikaela Nestel
3: Payton Campbell
2: Madison Barker
Bow: Hannah Valenty
 
Bow #294
Coxswain: Rory Brouillard
Stroke: Rebecca Swanson
3: Britta Wheeler
2: Bridget Abbott
Bow: Isabella Abbott
 
Bow #311
Coxswain Catherine Egan
Stroke: Sydney Lynch
3: Rosemary van der Net
2: Caitlin DeStefano
Bow: Erin Pyle
 
Women's Freshman 8+
Coxswain: Paige Engel
Stroke: Samantha Szlachta
7: Cherise Dicke
6: Lauren Boyce
5: Nya Muffoletto
4: Haley Haukedahl
3: Mia Durante
2: Natalie Hesch
Bow: Grace Kennevan
 
Women's Club Championship 8+
Bow #521
Coxswain: Rory Brouillard
Stroke: Bridget Abbott
7: Cherise Dicke
6: Lauren Boyce
5: Jillian Peters
4: Isabella Trovato
3: Brigid Haugh
2: Samantha Szlachta
Bow: Grace Kennevan
 
Bow #528
Coxswain: Catherine Egan
Stroke: Natalie Hesch
7: Eliza Mance
6: Sarah Ricketts
5: Nya Muffoletto
4: Haley Haukedahl
3: Kathryn Ackerman
2: Mia Durante
Bow: Margaret Ray
 
Bow #532
Coxswain: Paige Engel
Stroke: Megan McMahon
7: Kelly Ardrey
6: Kiran Dahnke
5: Olivia Silbert
4: Caitlin DeStefano
3: Rosemary van der Net
2: Megan Elliott
Bow: Michaela Bosworth
 
Women's Championship 8+
Coxswain: Elizabeth Kuhn
Stroke: Mikaela Nestel
7: Isabella Abbott
6: Madison Barker
5: Payton Campbell
4: Aynslee Sibley
3: Hannah Valenty
2: Rebecca Swanson
Bow: Britta Wheeler