Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University rowing team concluded its 2023 fall season this past weekend, traveling across the state to the historic Schuylkill River Racecourse to compete in the 53rd running of the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta.
For the Dukes, the approximately 4,200-meter race down the Schuylkill River alongside Kelly Drive would be their final competition of the fall racing season, and they looked to wrap up the season on a positive note. The course itself proved to be a fast course, with a bit of rain the day before there was a hint of a tail current and, as the afternoon progressed, a crosswind through the first 1,800 meters of course turned into a tailwind coming through the Columbia Bridge. Under a mostly clear sky and with temperatures pushing toward a more summer-like 80 degrees, the Dukes began their race by launching out a Freshman 8+.
Freshman 8+
The Freshman 8+ launched out, starting first in the procession of the crews in the race. Composed of rowers from the 1V8, 2V8, 3V8, and 4V8 and coxed by freshman
Jessica DeSaro, the crew looked to see what kind of race they could pull together. Off the start, the crew got into a good rhythm, settling to about 30 strokes per minute. DeSaro, a veteran of the course, having raced it several times in high school, steered a good line through the Strawberry Mansion Bridge and had a good course on the Columbia Bridge. Right around 1,500 meters into the race, the Dukes were chased and passed by a crew from Monmouth before they went into the bridge. Unrattled, DeSaro backed off pressure just enough to avoid a collision, then brought the crew right back into rhythm, taking a great line through the turn below the bridge headed toward Girard Ave. and the finish line. From there, the Dukes kept their speed, trying to catch Monmouth and overtake them again, but their effort fell short. Overall, the Dukes claimed fifth, with Temple finishing first, followed by Monmouth, Fordham and Canisius.
2V8 and 3V8
The second race on the afternoon for Duquesne featured two crews, the Second Varsity 8+ and Third Varsity 8+, which entered in the Women's Club Championship Eights event. The event itself is open to all levels of crew, including NCAA Division I, Division II, Division III, Club or local rowing clubs unaffiliated with any institution. Most NCAA Division I crews enter its First Varsity 8+ into the Championship Eights later in the day, while a lot of NCAA Division II and Division II and Club programs enter its First Varsity 8+ into the Club Championship 8+s.
In this melting pot of entries, the first crew down the course for Duquesne was the 2V8+, coxed by senior
Catherine Egan. Egan got the crew off the line well, settling into a rate of 32 strokes per minute, and kept them charging smoothly toward the Columbia Bridge. As the Dukes found their rhythm, they also began to catch up to the crew in front of them from Loyola (Md). The Dukes notched a great inside line through the turn below the bridge, and Egan called for massive power from her crew to catch and overtake the Greyhounds, which buoyed the spirits of Egan's crew as they zeroed in on Girard Avenue and the finish line. The Dukes continued to move on the crews in front of them, but didn't close enough distance to make a full pass before the finish line. For a well-rowed race, the Dukes earned an eighth-place finish, half a second ahead of La Salle, a quarter second behind Army and 25.5 seconds behind the winners from Embry-Riddle.
In the 3V8, coxed by sophomore
Paige Engel, the crew started last in the line of boats, which can be a daunting place to start. All the rest of the boats started ahead of the 3V8, and the fastest crews from the race behind the 3V8 might start to catch up, but the Dukes proved they were up to the challenge of starting last, getting a great start and finding themselves a race pace of 32 strokes per minute. Engel kept her crew composed and swinging well together, getting her crew to the straightaway between Columbia Bridge and the final curve before the finish line, all while making up ground on the crews in front of them. The 3V8 closed in on crews from both Pitt and Loyola (Md.) but ran out of racecourse before they could overtake either crew. For their spirited efforts in starting last and trying to gain on the field, the 3V8 finished 30th, about 4.5 seconds ahead of Lafayette, just 1.4 seconds behind Thomas Jefferson University and about 58.5 seconds behind their teammates in the 2V8.
Varsity 8+
The final race of the day for Duquesne was the Women's Championship 8+. Like the Club Championship 8+, this race is open to any entries from any NCAA or Club program. The entries tend to be the fastest boats from the fastest programs, and this year featured a crew from the Danish National Team, which raced at last weekend's Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston and stayed around for a week to race in Philadelphia.
With strong competition on the course, the Dukes steeled themselves for what would be the strongest competition they've seen all season. Coxed by sophomore
Meghan Mangan, Duquesne launched into their race at a rate of 34 strokes per minute. As Mangan commanded her crew down the course, the Dukes tried to make up ground on the crew that started in front of them, A-10 Conference foe Fordham, while her crew also tried to keep the Wildcats from Villanova behind them. Mangan's crew executed a spirited race, keeping their focus inside the boat on the things they could control. Mangan's crew lost ground on the Fordham boat ahead of them, and while Villanova gained on the Dukes, Villanova wasn't able to fully overtake Duquesne on the course. Overall, Duquesne finished 11th, about nine seconds behind Drexel's 2V8 and 0.8 seconds ahead of George Washington University's 2V8. Duquesne finished one minute and 39 seconds behind the race winners, the Danish National Team, who commanded the field, beating out second place Temple by 51 seconds.
Reactions
The best boat performance for Duquesne came from the 2V8, which earned their first Top 10 finish at Head of the Schuylkill since 2016.
"Now that fall season has concluded, we have a lot of work to do from now until our first race in March," head coach
Matt Carlsen said. "Nobody on the team can get complacent as we head indoors, because we need to find a lot more speed. We missed some of our goals at Head of the Schuylkill, but we have time to put in work and create more speed this winter."
The Dukes enter their winter training phase, and their first competition will be a scrimmage during Spring Training camp in Clemson, S.C., March 2-9, 2024.
Results
Varsity 8+: 11th of 13
Second Varsity 8+: 8th of 42
Third Varsity 8+: 30th of 42
Freshman 8+: 5th of 19
Lineups
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