The crew team competed in its biggest meet of the year yesterday at the Charles River in Boston, Mass., and finished 22nd with a time of 17:50. In the varsity 8+ shell were coxswain Yng-Ru Chen, Amanda Adam, Amelia Booth, Katie Lakin, Joanna Hingle, Caroline Dieman, Maren Betts-Sonstegard, Melissa Sullivan and Kara Cerwensky. The players were happy with their performance, noting the field was very difficult.
Coach Robyn Horner was also satisfied with the team's showing.
"It was a very competitive field," Horner said. "Coming in 22nd was a little off what we expected to do, which was 20th. They really had a good race. This was the highest level of competition this year and we have a really young team for a race like that."
Katie Lakin, a six seat, said the team has definitely improved from last year, and it showed in the race yesterday.
"We had a good race," she said. "We probably would've liked to finish a little better, but we beat Carolina and other teams we wouldn't have last year."
This is the first time the Duke crew team participated in the prestigious Head of the Charles race. Other shells in the race were from the German national team, third-ranked Virginia and other top-notch programs from across the country.
Within the three-mile racing section of the Charles River was a 180-degree turn which tested the will of all eight rowers and Chen.
Many spectators gather around this bend in hope of seeing the teams crashing into each other or hitting the banks of the river.
"We did a really good job on the turn," said freshman Amanda Adam, an eight seat. "It wasn't that hard. Our coxswain did a really good job. All of the people were waiting for us to mess up, but we rose to the occasion."
Still, some of the rowers still had difficulty at the treacherous turn.
"[The turn] was tough for me because I'm on the side that has to row the hardest, but we did a good job," Lakin said.
The weather in Boston didn't affect the team very much, as it was warmer than expected during Duke's two-day stay.
"It was windy and it came from different directions," Lakin said. "I thought we adjusted really well. The water was a little choppy, but wasn't too rough."
The Blue Devils rowed without a penalty all day, with much thanks to Chen.
"This was pretty much a coxswain's race," Adam said. "She did really well."
Lakin also praised her teammate.
"We had no penalties," she said. "Our coxswain is from Boston. She's been on the course many times."
The Blue Devils began rowing at 4 p.m. in the 41st position out of a field of 58. They finished the day with a 32 stroke per minute average, which helped them to place in the top-20 college teams in the country.
Last weekend at the Head of Lake Hartwell in Clemson, S.C., the Varsity 8+ finished first, beating Clemson and Tennessee. The next meet for the Blue Devils is the Head of the Chattahoochee in Gainesville, Fla. Nov. 4. The second varsity team finished 20th out of 71 Saturday in Boston.
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