The independent news organization of Duke University
The Blue Devils earned the bronze medal at the ACC Championship hosted by Clemson on Lake Hartwell. This is the 10th time that Duke has accomplished this, and the impressive performance was capped off with an outright victory in the Second Varsity Four event.
The Blue Devils did not try anything too fancy at this regatta and their emphasis on solid, fundamental rowing won the day.
“We've done a good job, everything that we're doing is good,” head coach Megan Cooke Carcagno said. “I just think the next few months are critical for achieving that mission.”
With their legs on fire, their lungs desperate for air and 500 meters left in the race, the victorious crews are those with rowers willing to dig the deepest.
In such a detail-oriented sport, every little thing counts.
Duke’s Varsity Eight powered the way, complemented extremely well by its lower boats, for a solid performance on Ohio State’s home waters at the Griggs Reservoir.
What’s better than having one crew post competitive times in Varsity Eight races? Having two.
Duke won all six events Saturday, earning 90 points and comfortably rowing away with the victory.
Although they’ll have to go through perennial powerhouse Virginia, the Blue Devils appear to have a mix of experience and newcomers that’ll make them contenders to finally take home the conference crown.
Amidst the many contributors to Duke’s lively and innovative campus are some of its hardest workers: the Duke women’s rowing team.
The Blue Devils may have potentially been able to seal a first place win in the conference as well as a top-10 finish in the NCAA championships.
The Varsity Four boat earned gold at the ACC championship, making Duke history in the process.
Although Duke finished in the top three of its conference, the fate of the Blue Devils remains unclear.
The Blue Devils continue to show their prowess against the nation’s best, racking up resume wins for all boats in their lineup.
Duke had a chance to make a statement against some of the nation’s fastest teams—and it capitalized on the opportunity.
The Blue Devils got back on the water with a relatively young squad to make a splash in their first major race of the year.
There is a celebration of sport in Boston this weekend, and Duke was invited.
Although the Blue Devils opened the meet with strong showings in the morning qualifying heats, Duke struggled to match the early intensity of its finals.
Losing their dock to flooding, losing practice time on the water to bad weather and shifting boat lineups due to illness have all been roadblocks on their road to the postseason. But despite it all, Duke finished strong in an impressive performance to wrap up the regular season.
Although they had trouble placing in the top five against a field that included eight top-20 teams, the Blue Devils still managed to build some confidence as one of the ACC's better teams.