For a young team adjusting to the new training regimen and high expectations of a first-year head coach, putting boats into an established powerhouse’s home water is a tall order.
On Saturday, Duke found that out the hard way.
The Blue Devils fell to No. 3 Virginia decisively at the Virginia Dual hosted by the Cavaliers on the Rivanna Reservoir in Earlysville, Va. In the face of strong winds throughout the afternoon, Duke head coach Megan Cooke Carcagno's squad had difficulty adapting to the taxing weather conditions, losing all five contested races, four of them by at least 15 seconds.
The closest race of the day for the Blue Devils was the V4. Sarah Wall, Julia Weber, Celia Macrae, Sarah Fletcher and Mary Wilson—the same boat that beat UCLA in its last race—came within three seconds of the upset victory. Virginia closed strong, though, crossing the finish line in 7:29.1, three seconds ahead of Duke's 7:32.1.
The 2V4 proved to be the most difficult event of the day, as the compact squad featuring freshmen Rhea Bergman and Marissa Donadio as well juniors Dorothy Jones, Caroline Willis and Tani O’Neill could not beat out any of Virginia’s three competing boats. Duke finished in exactly 7:58.0, well back of the Cavaliers’ A boat, which stopped the clock at a blistering 7:28.0, with the C boat bringing up the rear for the hosts in 7:41.0.
In the main race of the day, the Blue Devils' V8 boat—which featured more veterans than other Duke team out on the water—was also defeated soundly. The Blue Devils clocked in at 7:19.2, 21.2 seconds after a Virginia crew that was recently named ACC Crew of the Week. The V8 race was marred by the heavy gusts more so than any other competition of the day, slowing both teams down.
In the 2V8 and 3V8 races, the results were similar for Duke, stopping the clock 17 seconds and 16 seconds behind the Cavaliers' boat, respectively.
After a weekend off, the Blue Devils will head to Bloomington, Ind., for the Dale England Cup April 22-23.
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