Robyn Horner couldn't have scripted it any better.
Two boats ahead was Williams College, a program she led for two years. One boat behind was Minnesota, her alma mater.
But in the end, in front of them both, was the Duke varisty 8+ boat.
The Blue Devils put together one of their best races in the programs two year history at the Head of the Charles Saturday, finishing ahead of rowing mainstays Minnesota and Williams College and in third place out of 73 boats in the club 8+ race.
"She definitely mentioned the Williams/Minnesota thing, especially because of the way we were set up," junior Whitney Dunlap said. "It worked well because we knew the farther we got from Minnesota, the better we were doing and the closer we got to Williams, the better. And we could visibly see that."
It was the third straight regatta in which the 8+ boat, which finished 14 spots better than last year's entry, picked up a top-three finish.
Duke's 18:49.21 time was tops among collegiate club entries, although it fell almost 30 seconds off the pace of top-finishing Riverside Boat Club of Boston.
Unlike in years past where the Charles River has been a small house of horrors for the Duke team, the surface remained relatively calm in the chilly, but otherwise excellent, racing conditions.
"We rowed a really storng race, we were really powerful," Dunlap said. "We avoided all crashes, all collisions, and passed two boats without any difficulty. We're all aware of what can happen and what has happened [on the Charles]."
The Blue Devils entered an additional tandem of boats-a novice 8+ comprised largely of soon-to-be varsity first-year recruits that finished seventh out of 43 entrants and a lightweight 4+ boat that finished 11th out of 17.
And, as the Blue Devils continue to push their way towards the nation's elite it was the season-awaited test of the lightweight 4+ boat, an event Duke is just beginning to tackle, that might have been the weekend's biggest statement.
"[The lightweight 4+ boat] has been praciticing together since the beginning of the season," Dunlap said. "And now, they're getting it going."
And so too is their second-year program.
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