After spending much of the spring season dealing with injuries and illness, Duke’s varsity eight crew posted its best showing of the second semester, defeating 21st-ranked Oregon State Sunday in Charlottesville, Va.
“Overall, I was very pleased with the mental toughness the varsity eight showed in their race,” head coach Robyn Horner said. “It was a very important race to get us back on track as we go into the ACC Championships and Regionals.”
Propelled by the return of senior co-captain Christine Lauro, who had missed significant time because of illness, the Blue Devils battled side-by-side with the Beavers through the majority of the race. The two teams were within feet of one another with only 400 meters to go, but Duke opened up a narrow lead down the final stretch. The Blue Devils crossed the finish line first, edging Oregon State by a mere 1.8 seconds in a time of 6:49.2.
Duke did not fare as well in the day’s other races, partially as a result of makeshift lineups necessitated by several key injuries. The Beavers took home wins in both the second varsity eight and varsity quad races as the Blue Devils unfamiliar groupings struggled to compete with the more established crews from Oregon State.
In the second varsity eight race, the Blue Devils hung with their opponent until the final 500 meters when the Beavers pulled ahead. Despite the return of junior Lauren Case, Oregon State beat the Blue Devils to the finish line, posting a time of 6:56.2.
“I think they had a good race, but I’ve definitely seen them row better,” Horner said.
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