Dukes Collect Five Medals at Head of the Occoquan

Saturday, October 31

Fairfax, Va.

Duquesne University

Head of the Occoquan

11/5/2026 9:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing

Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University women's rowing team continued its 2026 fall campaign this past weekend, traveling to Fairfax, Va., to compete in the Head of The Occoquan Regatta. In their eight boat entries, the Dukes brought back five medals to the Bluff.

VARSITY EIGHTS
Launching first for Duquesne were two varsity eights and two junior varsity eights with an 11:50 a.m. start time. Beginning second in the 13-boat lineup for the varsity eight category was coxswain Serena DeCosmo with bow number 155 and four bow numbers behind was coxswain Caitlin Langford (159). Both coxswains navigated several turns, including a quarter-mile long 180 degree turn during the 5,000-meter course and finished in third and seventh place, respectively, out of 13 entrants. Bow 155 was three seconds behind second place and bow 159 was just a second behind sixth place. Additionally, both crews beat teams from Loyola Maryland, George Washington, Carnegie Mellon and St. Mary's College of Maryland.

In the junior varsity eight race, the Dukes competed in a field of eight boats in a head-race style. Coxswain Sydney Douglas in bow 169 received third place, behind crews from Old Dominion and Georgetown, while coxswain Rosalie Nicholas earned fourth place. Both boats beat teams from Loyola Maryland, Robert Morris and George Mason.

VARSITY FOURS
Later in the afternoon, the Dukes launched two varsity fours and two junior varsity fours that included rowers from the first and second varsity eight boats. Coxswain Serena DeCosmo started third in the 18-boat lineup, walked through a crew from Old Dominion and didn't let anyone pass, which helped Duquesne garner a silver medal. In the second entry for the Dukes in the varsity four, coxswain Caitlin Langford placed seventh, beating crews from George Mason, Loyola Maryland and George Washington, among others.

Launching at the same time were two junior varsity fours coxed by Sydney Douglas and Kat Muha, respectively. Though the racing field was smaller with only nine competitors, the Dukes took advantage of the warm weather and calm water and placed first and second in the event. Bow 299 with Sydney Douglas started first and stayed ahead for the windy course to place first, while Bow 301 stayed close behind and finished one second ahead of Bow 300 from Old Dominion, garnering silver.

QUOTABLE
"I am incredibly proud of what this team has accomplished this fall," head coach Matt Carlsen saind. "We made a number of changes to how we approached this season compared to last year, and it's exciting to see those changes paying off. Having 27 student-athletes come home with medals is something special, but just as rewarding is seeing how much ground we've made up on the teams we raced at this same event a year ago.

"The speed we've developed this fall is going to be a tremendous asset as we transition into head-to-head racing. We'll get our first opportunity to test that when we host West Virginia. That race will give us a valuable look at where we stand, what we've improved, and where we still need to get better as we head into the winter months. I'm excited about the direction we're heading and even more excited about what's ahead."

UP NEXT
The Dukes will finish out their fall season with a scrimmage against WVU at home Saturday, Nov. 7.

RESULTS
Women's Collegiate Varsity 8+: 3rd (17:54.159), 7th (18:23.213)
Women's Collegiate JV 8+: 3rd (18:44.195), 4th (18:54.353)
Women's Collegiate Varsity 4+: 2nd (19:03.194), 7th (20:12.002)
Women's Collegiate JV 4+: 1st (20:05.290), 2nd (20:19.686)

LINEUPS
Race Varsity 8+ Varsity 8+ JV 8+ JV 8+
Bow # 155 159 169 171
Coxswain Serena DeCosmo Caitlin Langford Sydney Douglas Rosalie Nicholas
Bow Nicole Woroszylo Nina DiFonzo Margaret Osterhaudt Addison Selby
2 Ava Gallegos Olivia Wakeman Ella Kerrigan Violet Shaw
3 Mikayla Bartos Sabrina Alcaro Ellie Knuth Julia Serdinak
4 Callie Carpenter Brooke Brindise Katherine Zema Jonah Althof
5 Cate Manclark Jocelyn Tatarko Kayla Kral Emma Mills
6            Danielle Smith Madison Lambert Anastasia Amromina Isabelle Pilato
7 Catie Duffner Mateja van Gameren Roane George Ryleigh Erban
Stroke Elizabeth Bartos Ella Hinchey Lily Armstrong Anna Dering

Race Varsity 4+ Varsity 4+ JV 4+ JV 4+
Bow # 281 286 299 301
Coxswain Serena DeCosmo Caitlin Langford Sydney Douglas Kat Muha
Bow             Ava Gallegos Elizabeth Bartos Nina DiFonzo Sabrina Alcaro
2 Catie Duffner Mikayla Bartos Brooke Brindise Madison Lambert
3          Jocelyn Tatarko Danielle Smith Callie Carpenter Mateja van Gameren
Stroke         Cate Manclark Nicole Woroszylo Olivia Wakeman Ella Hinchey

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