Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University rowing team competed at the Head of the Occoquan this past weekend for the first time since 2019. Upon their arrival to the racecourse, the Dukes were greeted with idyllic conditions, as the golden sunshine complimented the fall foliage reflecting off the mirror flat water to start the day. As the sun warmed the chilly air, a slight breeze rippled the water. On some parts of the serpentine course it would be a headwind, others it would be a tail. Excited to re-engage the waters of the Occoquan River after a five-year absence, the Dukes launched three eights and four fours to test themselves against the competition.
First Varsity 8+
The first crew of the day to take the course was the First Varsity 8+, coxed by junior
Paige Engel. Duquesne got off to a strong start, settling into a good rhythm and Engel found a smooth touch on her rudder to guide her crew around the twists and turns of the course. The Dukes were able to track down Robert Morris' entry into the race and pass them, and further down the course they managed to track down the Pitt Panthers and make a pass as well. The crew had a great race, earning a third-place finish behind two crews from Georgetown and six seconds ahead of High Point University.
Second and Third Varsity 8+
The second and third crews of the day for the Dukes, the Second Varsity 8+ coxed by
Meghan Mangan and Third Varsity 8+ coxed by
Caitlin Langford, entered in the Women's Collegiate JV 8+ event.
First in line for Duquesne in the time-trial style race was Mangan's crew in the 2V8+, starting ahead of George Mason and behind a second entry from Georgetown. Off the start, Mangan called her crew on pace and began to pull away from Mason, while trying to reel in the Hoyas. Keeping the focus of her athletes inside their own shell, Mangan steered a solid line and the athletes managed to close down a few seconds on Georgetown, resulting in a second place finish, 1.8 seconds behind the first entry from Georgetown and a razor-thin 0.2 seconds ahead of the first entry from Old Dominion.
Second in line for Duquesne was the 3V8+, starting second from last in the line of crews for the time trial ahead of a second entry from George Mason and behind a second entry from Old Dominion. Coxswain
Caitlin Langford was able to settle her crew into a uniform mindset to attack the course, and while ODU pulled away, Langford's crew pulled away from Mason. As the Dukes battled down the course for position, they would row past a crew from Penn State's club team, as well as track down and pass a crew from Robert Morris. The crew had a solid row that they were happy with, finishing seventh overall behind a crew from High Point and ahead of a crew from Loyola (Md.).
First Varsity 4+
In the afternoon, Duquesne re-launched crews in 4+s for another race down the course. The Dukes put their 1V4+ into the Women's Collegiate Varsity 4+ race, coxed by
Jessica DeSaro. Duquesne started ahead of a crew from High Point University, and behind an entry from the club team at American. Off the start line, Duquesne quickly closed down the 37 second starting interval between the Dukes and American, and with American passed, went after more crews. Over the course of the race, DeSaro skillfully navigated the course and managed to pass by Loyola (MD), Catholic University, St. Johns, and Penn State, before crossing the finish line. With the crew feeling good about their row, the boat earned a third place finish, behind the entry from High Point and ahead of George Mason.
Second, Third and Fourth Varsity 4+
For the final race of the day for Duquesne, the Dukes sent out three crews in the Women's Collegiate JV 4+ event.
The first crew over the start line was the 2V4+, coxed by
Kat Muha. In the line of boats on the course, the 2V4+ was third to cross over the start line, behind a crew from Pitt and ahead of a crew from Robert Morris. Off the start, Muha quickly put distance on Robert Morris while tracking down Pitt. Muha's crew drew level with the Panthers and completed the pass, and found themselves in a wide gap between themselves and the first crew to start the race from Georgetown. Without a crew visible to chase after their pass, the Dukes kept a good focus inside the shell and completed a solid race, finishing third overall.
The second crew to start for Duquesne was the 3V4+, coxed by
Rory Brouillard. Brouillard's crew started toward the rear of the line of boats, providing them plenty of crews to chase down. Off the start, the Dukes began to close on Robert Morris, completed the pass, and moved on to find more crews. Over the course of the race, Brouillard was able to complete passes on Penn State, Loyola (MD), and George Mason. Buoyed by the excitement of passing crews, the 3V4 finished second, ahead of their teammates in the 2V4 and behind a crew from Georgetown.
The final crew of the day for Duquesne was the 4V4+. The Dukes were the final crew of the race to start, due to a few other crews scratching their entries. Because of an error by the starting officials, who didn't realize that the other crews weren't coming to the start line, Duquesne started 20 seconds behind Pitt, and almost two and a half minutes behind the next crew in line. Duquesne quickly tracked down and passed the Panthers, and then were caught in a no-man's-land where they put distance on the Panthers, but had no other crews to challenge. Racing nobody else but the clock, the 4V4+ was still able to have a solid row and finished ninth overall out of 14 crews that started the race.
QUOTABLE
"I am very proud of the team for building on our performance at head of the Ohio and having the best finishes at head of the Occoquan since 2015," head coach
Matt Carlsen said. "We did a lot of selection over the past few weeks and it showed with our speed today. We need to continue the work we've put in leading to our next race against West Virginia and into the end of the semester."
UP NEXT
Duquesne returns to action in a scrimmage against West Virginia University on the Allegheny River, Saturday, Nov. 9.
RESULTS
First Varsity 8+: 3rd out of 16
Second Varsity 8+: 2nd out of 13
Third Varsity 8+: 7th out of 13
First Varsity 4+: 3rd out of 15
Second Varsity 4+: 3rd out of 14
Third Varsity 4+: 2nd out of 14
Fourth Varsity 4+: 9th out of 14
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