Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University rowing team continued its 2024 spring season Sunday, traveling to the Mason Invitational, held in Fairfax Station, Va., on the Occoquan Reservoir Racecourse. The Dukes were excited to test themselves against opponents they faced the weekend prior at Knecht Cup as well as to line up against some opponents they'd not competed against this season. Strong results against in-conference opponents Saint Joseph's, George Washington and George Mason, as well as prior Knecht Cup opponents Eastern Michigan and Delaware, would signal that the land training the Dukes accomplished between races was paying off. Because of river flooding issues, Duquesne had yet to touch its home waters since March 30.
When the Dukes arrived to the racecourse Sunday, they were greeted by cool temperatures, a non-descript, gray sky and the slightest breath of a headwind. For Duquesne, these would be the best conditions they'd had for rowing or racing since their spring training trip, and the Dukes eagerly awaited their chance to attack the racecourse. All six crews Duquesne would have a chance to race twice, with the progression model advancing crews from heats to either a Grand or Petite Final.
SECOND VARSITY 4+ & THIRD VARSITY/NOVICE 4+
The first two crews to take to launch onto the nearly perfect waters were the second varsity 4+ and third varsity/novice 4+, which by virtue of a random draw, found the two squads facing off against each other in a heat that also included entries from George Washington and West Virginia. Off the start line the Duquesne 2V4+ and 3V/N4+ got a slower start than WVU and GW and started the race in third and fourth position. However, as the crews approached the 500-meter mark, the Dukes 2V4 began to claw back the lost ground on GW and locked themselves in a back-and-forth battle with the Revolutionaries by the 1,500-meter, while the 3V/N4+ fell back behind the lead crews. Thanks to a fantastic effort in the final 500 meters, the Duquesne 2V4+ took over second place from George Washington and hold the placement with a margin of three seconds while trailing WVU by 5.1 seconds. The Duquesne 3V/N4+ finished well behind the other three crews in their heat, but rowed well enough to progress to the Grand Final based on their time, sending crews from Loyola (Md.) and George Mason from the other heat to Petite Finals.
In the Grand Final, the two Duquesne crews lined up against the two crews from its heat, plus an additional entry from WVU (Third Varsity 4+) and Second Varsity/Novice 4+ from Robert Morris. Additionally, since Loyola (Md.) needed to drop out of its petite final due to an injury, the George Mason crew was appended to the Grand Final, creating a seven-crew race.
Off the start, things unfolded much like they did in the heat, with WVU and GW getting a better jump off the line than either Duquesne crew. Unlike the heat, however, the 3V/N4+ found themselves tangled in a fight with the 3V4 from WVU, and ahead of both RMU and GMU, while the 2V4 again set their sights on the bow ball of the Revolutionaries. As the race progressed, both RMU and GMU fell off the pace, while the 3V/N4 from Duquesne continued to engage the WVU 4+, with a slight edge in favor of the Dukes by 1,000 meters, and the 2V4+ continued to battle GW, largely even at the 1,000-meter mark, with WVU leading. In the final 500 meters of the race, both Duquesne crews asserted themselves over their nearest competitors, with the 3V/N4+ finishing fourth and the 2V4+ finishing second.
THIRD VARSITY 8+
The third crew of the day launching for the Dukes was the 3V8+, racing a heat for lane placement in a final with WVU, Delaware, GW and Eastern Michigan. Off the start line the Dukes found themselves slightly off the pace from a lead pack that included Delaware, George Washington and Eastern Michigan but battling against the WVU 3V8. The battle with WVU's 3V8+ was a rematch from March 31, when the two boats battled each other along with the wind and waves on the Ohio River. As the race progressed, the lead three crews separated themselves into a three boat race for first, while WVU began to build a lead on Duquesne, with the Dukes trying to find a solid rhythm and get back on even terms with the Mountaineers. The finish line approaching, Duquesne did its best to close the gap on WVU, but the lead proved to be too much as the Mountaineers finished ahead of the Dukes by seven seconds. The lead crews finished within six seconds of each other and twelve seconds ahead of WVU.
In their final, the Dukes lined up for a rematch with the crews from earlier in the morning, looking to improve on their performance. The race started largely the same way as the race for lanes did, with GW, Eastern Michigan and Delaware creating a cluster at the front, while WVU and Duquesne fought a two-boat race further back in the field. Unlike the race for lanes in the morning, WVU was able to find separation a little bit earlier in the course from Duquesne, and the Dukes would trail the rest of the field from the 1,000-meter mark to the finish line. The lead crews tightened their margins, finishing within three seconds of each other, increasing the gap over WVU to 17 seconds, while the Mountaineers increased their margin over Duquesne to 11.4 seconds.
FIRST VARSITY 4+
The fourth crew of the day to launch for the Dukes was the 1V4, lining up against conference opponents GMU and GW as well as WVU and Loyola (Md.). Duquesne came off the line third with the starting command, quickly distancing themselves from GMU and Loyola (Md.). The Dukes trailed GW and WVU from the start, and by the halfway mark, found themselves isolated in a no-man's-land. GW and WVU were trading strokes at the front of the race, open water ahead of the Dukes, while Duquesne had open water over the two trailing crews. The 1V4 did its best to row a competitive race, but by the time the last 500 meters came they trailed the lead crews by an insurmountable margin. Duquesne did, however, maintain a large margin over the two trailing crews. The Dukes would finish third in their heat but would not advance to the Grand Final due to Eastern Michigan finishing 0.9 seconds faster in the other heat, forcing the Dukes to the Petite Final.
In the Petite Final, Duquesne would face off against the same Loyola (Md.) and GMU crews from their heats, as well as a last-minute entry from Robert Morris. An injury from the Varsity 8 race forced RMU to scratch their entry and send out a 1V4 with four of their 1V8 rowers to race the petite final, creating a race of four crews.
Off the start, Duquesne and RMU shot out to a lead over Loyola and GMU, and the field formed into two groups of two crews battling against each other. By halfway through the race, Duquesne held an edge on RMU, but the Colonials tenaciously hung on to Duquesne's stern deck and would not relent. Coming into the final 500 meters, the Dukes took an early sprint to finally shake off the Colonials, and the move worked. The Dukes broke contact with the RMU crew, which responded to the challenge but ran out of course before they could re-establish contact as the Dukes earned a 3.2 second victory to win the petite final.
SECOND VARSITY 8+
The fifth crew for Duquesne was the 2V8+, which faced off against conference opponents Saint Joe's and George Washington, as well as Loyola (Md.) and Bucknell. Off the start, the Dukes got off the line clean and settled into a solid rhythm. As the race unfolded, the lead three crews, Bucknell, GW and Duquesne, began to stretch out some distance over Saint Joe's, which pulled away from Loyola (Md.). Approaching the halfway mark, the Hawks found themselves in the middle of a gap ahead of Loyola (Md.), but well behind the action at the front, where George Washington led the field and Bucknell and Duquesne battered each other for a tight second position. Approaching the finish line, the Bison got a jump on the Dukes and though Duquesne responded, the move the Bison made stuck, and George Washington would take the win in the heat, followed by Bucknell, Duquesne, Saint Joe's and Loyola (Md.). Duquesne would qualify for Grand Finals on their time, with the fastest time across heats of the crews that didn't finish first or second.
In the Grand Final, the Dukes got off the line a little slower than their heat, which resulted in them falling back a bit on the rest of the field, with the exception of Villanova. Bucknell, Delaware, George Washington and WVU formed a tight pack at the front, no crew willing to yield to the other, and that four-way battle propelled the leaders down the course faster than their opponents from Villanova and Duquesne. Coming into the last 500 meters, a furious finish saw Bucknell prevail, followed four seconds behind by George Washington and 2.9 seconds later Delaware, a scant 0.8 seconds separating the Blue Hens from fourth place WVU. Duquesne held a decent advantage over Villanova in the battle for fifth and sixth spot. Villanova mounted a furious sprint to try and sneak past Duquesne at the finish line, but the Dukes had a large enough lead that they still finished in fifth, 3.5 seconds ahead of the Wildcats.
FIRST VARSITY 8+
The final crew on the course for Duquesne was the 1V8+, which lined up in a six boat race with conference opponents George Mason and Saint Joe's as well as familiar opponents WVU, Robert Morris and Bucknell. As the race began, Duquesne exploded off the start line, making a gambit to try and steal first place immediately. The jump ahead was quickly met and matched by the Hawks, with Bucknell, WVU and George Mason in hot pursuit. Robert Morris lagged behind the pack after the start. As the crews approached the halfway mark, the Dukes found themselves in a contested race second place as Saint Joe's established themselves as the race leaders. The Dukes were holding off repeated attempts by the Bison to push ahead and, as the boats approached the finish line in the last 500 meters, Duquesne still trailed St. Joe's. A perfectly timed sprint for the Dukes secured second place, 2.6 seconds ahead of Bucknell and a spot in the Grand Final.
In the Grand Final, Duquesne would face off against Saint Joe's and Bucknell again as well as defending A-10 Champions GW, Villanova and Delaware. This time off the start, the Hawks and Bison were ready for the Dukes to come off the line hot and immediately countered their momentum, while GW pushed ahead of the pack. Villanova and Delaware formed a pack with the Dukes for positions four, five and six. Approaching the 1,000-meter mark, GW was the clear leader, Bucknell and Saint Joe's were going stroke-for-stroke against each other for second and that intense contest pushed them well ahead of Duquesne and Villanova, which themselves were grappling for fourth. As the crews approached the finish line, GW had an uncontestable lead on the field and crossed the line with open water on Bucknell and Saint Joe's. The Bison and Hawks crossed the line for a photo finish, which, upon video review by the race officials, was determined to be a dead heat as both boats crossed the line at the exact same time. Both crews finished second. Further back, Villanova got a jump on Duquesne with the final sprint, and while the Dukes tried to respond, their argument for fourth wasn't strong enough to counter the Wildcats, and the Dukes finished fifth, followed by Delaware.
QUOTABLE
"Having the first and second eight+ finish higher than their initial seeds was a testament to the work the team has been putting in," head coach
Matt Carlsen said. "The team is excited about our current fitness levels. Now we have to start honing the technical side of things once we get back into boats instead of on ergs for practices."
UP NEXT
The Dukes return to action Saturday, April 27, traveling to Shamokin Dam, Pa., for a one-on-one rematch against Bucknell on its home waters, the Susquehanna River.
RESULTS (Link)
First Varsity 8+: Fifth of 11
Second Varsity 8+: Fifth of 10
First Varsity 4+: Seventh of 10
Second Varsity 4+: Second of 8
Third Varsity 8+: :Fifth of 5
Third Varsity/Novice 4+: Fourth of 7
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