This Saturday morning the women's crew team traveled to Chapel Hill to take on the Tar Heels on their home water.
Duke fell to North Carolina in all three varsity and junior varsity races, while the novices split with the Tar Heels in three races, one of which ended in a tie.
"[Saturday] was a positive experience in that all the races were very competitive," Duke head coach Robyn Horner said. "[Saturday] was the closest we've ever been to UNC in the sprint races. I'm very proud of the consistency and hard work that our athletes showed."
Duke had to work hard to keep pace with the faster sprinting Tar Heels because their University Lake only has enough straight water for a 1,000-meter race instead of the usual 2,000-meter competition.
"[University Lake] is such a shorter piece that it brings a different element [to the race] than how we normally approach a race," freshman varsity 8+ rower Katie Lakin said. "We have to approach it more intensely and know that it's only three-and-a-half minutes and that's it."
The Blue Devils had already encountered the halved playing field last spring at the Carolina Classic, when inclement weather forced the regatta to relocate from Jordan Lake, the original site, to the more protected venue.
The Blue Devils have now split their last two regattas against North Carolina, taking a decisive three out of five races at October's Lake Michie Invitational. The question is: Who will be victorious at the neutral ACC Championships in Charlottesville, Va., on April 29?
"Against Carolina, it's tough because it could go either way," Lakin said. "I think we may have the advantage on the longer course because if we have a longer time to settle in, we could potentially win the race."
This was the first regatta Duke has competed in since receiving four votes in the U.S. Rowing and the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association preseason poll on Feb. 16, the Blue Devils' first-ever ranking.
"It was great to get the experience we had today so early in the season," Horner said. "We have three weeks now to prepare for our next race with Clemson and Northeastern."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.