In honor of Duke’s Centennial, the Blue Zone’s Blast from the Past series highlights pivotal figures and events in Duke sports history. Next, we look at the debut of the Blue Devil rowing team:
Duke rowing’s dedication to jumping right into the deep end, often quite literally, has existed since its founding. From its establishment in 1998, the team has developed into a program characterized by both athletic and academic excellence. So as the rowing team and its supporters await the start of the 2024-25 season, it’s time to reflect on the crew that created the debut splash for the program.
The 1998 season opener for the Blue Devils set a tone of ambition. Led by founding head coach Robyn Horner, the team entered its first race: The Head of the Charles Regatta. Regarded today as the world’s largest three-day rowing event, this race united the top collegiate rowing programs for a heated competition.
The Blue Devils found themselves face-to-face with seasoned crews holding track records of victories. Headed to the banks of the Charles River, Katherine Peterson, a co-captain during Duke’s inaugural season, struggled to believe her team could effectively compete against its experienced competitors. But what the women lacked in experience, they compensated for in ambition. Amongst 74 boats, the team finished 19th, overcoming a boat collision and experiencing a thrilling neck-and-neck finish in the final half-mile.
“I'm very pleased, the whole team is pleased," Peterson said after the regatta. "It wasn't perfect, but it's a good solid start to the season. Our goal was to get top-10, which we didn't do, but we still did better than we would have this time last year. We crashed in the middle which obviously slowed us down, but we're still very pleased with our performance."
The crew's opening race being the most competitive of its first season ingrained a culture of constantly pushing for greatness in the face of challenges. Early on, success wasn’t measured in national rankings or standings. For Duke, it was defined by growth.
“Our metrics for success weren't necessarily winning, but just seeing constant improvement,” Katie Lakin said, a member of the original team and Duke's first-ever All-ACC Selection.
The legacy created by the founding crew set up the program for major achievements to follow. Just two seasons after the 19th-place finish, the program clinched a third-place spot in the 2001 ACC Rowing Championship. The Blue Devils went on to add two second-place finishes in 2002 and 2003.
However, the standards established by the opening crew were not limited to the waters. The team’s dedication to constantly seeking improvement was reflected in its classroom performance. Of the original team, 25 crew members were recognized on the ACC Academic Honor Roll, including Peterson. Three would become National Rowing Scholar-Athletes.
Together the Duke rowing team of 1998 set a standard of striving for excellence. It made a name for the program that allowed the Blue Devils to seek not just success on the water but also in the classroom. Two decades later, Duke continues to uphold the standards it exemplified. In 2023, the team achieved a program-record 14th-place finish at the NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships. The next year, 34 crew members were named to the 2024 All-ACC Academic Team.
The success of Duke rowing in these past years simply could not be possible without the courage and confidence of the founding women. Their ability to come together as an inaugural force allowed them to craft a competitive program from scratch.
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