Duke’s Varsity Eight knew that it had to come through with a strong showing in the preliminary heat of the NCAA South/Central Regional Championship May 14-15 in Oak Ridge, Tenn. to have any chance at a bid to the NCAA Championships.
The Blue Devils were placed in a preliminary heat with No. 7 Michigan and No. 14 Wisconsin, as well as Notre Dame and North Carolina. A top-three finish in that heat would place the Blue Devils in the top semifinal class.
It was not to be, however, as Duke finished fourth in the heat, behind Michigan, Wisconsin and Notre Dame, effectively ending its NCAA Championship hopes. The Blue Devils time of 6:40.89 was their best of the weekend.
Duke did not qualify for the NCAA Championships when the field was announced Tuesday.
“We were really pumped to go out shooting for the top three,” coxswain Sarah Shapiro said. “We did everything we could; we felt great about the race but were frustrated by our placement.”
Undeterred by the disappointment in the first heat, the squad was able to come out strong in the second-tier semifinal later in the day. Having to place in the top three of four boats to earn a berth in the third-tier final, Duke finished second behind Texas and advanced to the third-tier final May 15.
Overcoming a poor start that left them in last place of the six teams, the Blue Devils quickly caught up with the rest of the boats. By the race’s one-quarter mark, Duke and Clemson were caught in a battle to the finish with the Blue Devil crew slightly ahead. The Tigers had beaten the Blue Devils once already this season at the ACC Championships April 23, but this race belonged to Duke as it held off Clemson to win the heat.
Duke’s second Varsity Eight finished third in its preliminary heat to advance to the top semifinal. The fifth-place finish there earned the Blue Devils a berth to the second-tier final, where they placed sixth.
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