Overview
Duke rowers started their season off strong at the Oak Ridge Invitational, sweeping 13 out of 15 races and placing a close second in the remaining two. Then the No. 15 Blue Devils traveled to Griggs Reservoir in Columbus, Ohio for the ACC/Big Ten Double Dual, where the 2V8 and 3V8 crews swept races against No. 9 Michigan and No. 12 Ohio State. The V4 and 2V4 delivered additional first-place finishes over the weekend to move the team up one spot in the national rankings. Following both breakout performances, Duke headed to the Big 10 Invitational in Sarasota, Fla., where the 3V8 boat clinched a first-place finish over three nationally-ranked crews. The Blue Devils also secured four second-place finishes throughout the competitive weekend.
When Duke returned home to co-host the Lake Wheeler Invitational, it continued to establish itself as a formidable opponent. The Blue Devils won 14 of 18 races to earn second place in the regatta, just fourteen points shy of then-No. 5 Tennessee. Riding high on the victory, they then returned to Lake Wheeler for the ACC Championships. Thanks to a gold-medal finish from the V4, silver-medal finish from the 2V4 and bronze-medal finishes from the 2V8 and 3V8, the Blue Devils clinched third place in the conference and secured a bid to the 2024 NCAA Championships.
At the NCAA regatta in Bethel, Ohio, Duke advanced all three of its boats to the C/D finals and finished 16th overall. Races from the V4 and 2V8 were the highlight of the meet, with the crews earning respective silver and bronze C-final finishes. But the end of the 2024 campaign was bittersweet: it marked the team’s last season with head coach Megan Cooke Carcagno, who announced her retirement plans after nine years at the helm.
Results relative to expectations
While the Blue Devils certainly made waves this season, they didn’t quite live up to the impressive success of their 2023 campaign. Despite an incredible V4 victory at ACC Championships, Duke fell once again to powerhouses Syracuse and Virginia during its quest for the ACC title. At the NCAA Championships, the Blue Devils finished two places behind last year’s program best of 14th and settled into the same No. 16 spot as in 2019, 2021 and 2022. Though a talented roster of new recruits and seasoned veterans promised to launch the Blue Devils to new heights this spring, tough competition ultimately resulted in a more moderately successful season.
Biggest win
Duke’s Varsity Four posted strong races all season, earning ACC Crew of the Week honors in late April. It came as no surprise when the V4 secured the Blue Devils’ biggest victory of the year: a gold medal at the ACC Championships.
The crew — made up of coxswain Ava Liebmann, Grace Matos, Vivienne Foley, Erin Temple and Eliza Straayer — earned their medal by dominating the ACC Championships course. After qualifying their boat to the grand final, the rowers powered past Virginia and Notre Dame to secure a first-place finish by respective margins of 6.160 and 9.563 seconds. Their comfortable lead was made even more impressive by the fact that they lagged behind at the race’s start and fought through to an open-water lead at its conclusion.
MVP: Lena Mills
Though several Duke rowers had standout seasons, sophomore Lena Mills earns MVP honors for her particular strong performances across the board. The Lymington, England, native raced in all nine regattas this season and played a critical role in the success of the Varsity Eight lineup.
Following her efforts at ACC Championships — where she helped guide the V8 to a fourth-place finish — Mills received All-ACC First Team honors. She was also one of 11 Blue Devils to receive a 2024 CRCA Scholar-Athlete title for maintaining a 4.0 spring semester GPA on top of her impressive feats in the water. At the season’s conclusion, in further recognition of her contributions to the program, Mills was named to the CRCA 2024 Pocock Division I All-American team. Her power and drive have already proved instrumental to Duke’s success, and the Blue Devils will certainly continue to rely on her skills in the coming seasons.
Accolades
The Blue Devils racked up several impressive honors throughout the season, including a 16th-place finish in the Pocock CRCA poll. Eleven rowers were named CRCA Scholar-Athletes, seven of whom received the title for the first time.
In mid-March, the Second Varsity Eight was named ACC Crew of the Week. The boat’s lineup — coxswain Sofia Papini, Justine Medveckus, Noelle Fuchs, Florine Lijesen, Mollie Nicol, Sophie Gower, Elizabeth May, Irene Ulitsky and Chelsea Proutt — received the honors after sweeping three races at the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational. The V4 crew of Liebmann, Matos, Foley, Temple and Straayer earned another ACC Crew of the Week title after a similarly successful sweep at the Lake Wheeler Invitational in late April.
Individual rowers received recognition for their season performances well. In early May, Mills and senior Kathryn Nash were selected to All-ACC First and Second Team, respectively. Mills’ CRCA All-American nod rounded out the team’s honors for the year.
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Abby DiSalvo is a Trinity sophomore and assistant Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.