Rowing fares well at Rivanna Romp

Fresh off Nov. 3's third-consecutive Head of the Chattahoochee title, the Duke women's rowing team headed to Charlottesville, Va., for the Rivanna Romp, for its strongest overall showing ever at the event.

The regatta included such competition as ACC rivals Clemson and host Virginia, national powers Syracuse, Ohio State and Georgetown. Last season, Ohio State and Virginia placed fourth and seventh, respectively, in the NCAA Women's Rowing Championships, while Syracuse rowed strongly to a sixth-place finish in the varsity eight competition.

"Ohio State, Virginia and Syracuse were all at nationals last year and we've been going back and forth with Clemson this season," coach Robyn Horner said of the field of competition.

The premier event of the regatta, the varsity eight, disappointed early, as Duke placed sixth, ninth and 12th. Last season, the varsity 8+ boat finished fourth against the same field. Yet the most notable aspect of the eight head race was not the Blue Devils' finish, but the fact that Duke fielded three separate boats.

"We're faster than we were last year," Horner said, "and much deeper. We can push each other this year because we have more than just the first boat in competition."

In the novice eights, Duke pulled off the upset, with the freshman boat winning its first race at the Romp. Finally, the Blue Devils placed third in the varsity fours, besting last season's fourth-place finish.

In seasons past, the Romp has functioned as Duke's last test before heading into winter training, where the Blue Devils must work on their speed and endurance for the spring season. With the strong showing in Charlottesville, Duke closes the fall season with a good indication of what it has to improve on.

"We're trying to figure out our goals for the spring," Horner said. "We realize we have to continue to work hard. As we grow closer to other teams [in competition], we also realize that if we keep notching it up a bit, we can compete with them."