In any given regatta, the varsity eight is usually the most anticipated race of the day. Eight rowers and one coxswain race with the pride of the program weighing on their oars.
So it is not surprising when the varsity eight's performance is used to gauge a program's competitiveness. However, at the Clemson Classic Sunday, while the varsity-eight boat exhibited the ability to compete against ranked squads, the varsity-four team proved that Duke could beat them.
No. 19 Duke's varsity four rowed to a two-second win over both Clemson boats, No. 14 Washington State and unranked Tennessee to improve on its second-place finish at last week's ACC Championships. After always finishing behind 24th-ranked Clemson in previous years, the Blue Devils pushed past the Tigers to steal both second place in the race and in the ACCs.
Sunday's race not only solidified Duke's place among nationally-ranked teams, but also showed that the Blue Devils' program has reached the level where it is deep enough to focus on more than just its varsity eight. The varsity four roared out to a 7:25.2 mark, only two-tenths of a second off Virginia's winning time in the ACCs and a 13-second improvement on Duke's previous time.
"They have such a great chemistry and were so commanding out there," junior Katie Lakin said. "They looked great coming across the line because they mesh so well as a boat."
The varsity eight did not fare so badly either, finishing third behind No. 17 Oregon State and Washington State by only 2.5 seconds. Duke's novices both took second in their respective races, finishing behind Clemson in a repeat of the ACCs.
"Granted we didn't win, but our margin was only about three seconds," Lakin said. "That puts us in a really good spot, and even this late in the season we can move up on [Washington State and Oregon State]."
The Blue Devils will travel to Oak Ridge, Tenn., for the South Regional Championships May 18 and 19.
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