Although the Blue Devils opened the meet with strong showings in the morning qualifying heats, Duke struggled to match the early intensity of its finals.
Losing their dock to flooding, losing practice time on the water to bad weather and shifting boat lineups due to illness have all been roadblocks on their road to the postseason. But despite it all, Duke finished strong in an impressive performance to wrap up the regular season.
Although they had trouble placing in the top five against a field that included eight top-20 teams, the Blue Devils still managed to build some confidence as one of the ACC's better teams.
At this time last season, Duke was trying to drag itself into the national conversation after coming into the spring unranked, but the program has struggled to take the next step forward this spring.
Although Duke had a disappointing showing in March’s Longhorn Invite and almost a month off to think about it, the Blue Devils will finally have a shot at redemption against some of the Big Ten’s toughest crews.
Duke suffered from slow starts against several unranked opponents, and will now need to make improvements to stay in the top 15 nationally.
Against two programs it has surged by in recent years, Duke opened the spring with a dominant performance.
With a roster featuring 17 freshmen who will have the chance to learn from Duke's experienced returners, second-year head coach Megan Cooke Carcagno's plan seems to be right on track heading in to the spring.
Coming in at No. 10 on our list: The Duke rowing team making its first-ever appearance at the NCAA championship.
Against teams from Clemson, Columbia, Louisville, Pennsylvania and the host Virginia, Duke finished with hard-fought second-place finishes from its top V8 and V4 boats in 4,000-meter races.
Top-five finishes from the V8 boat as well as the V4 and 2V4 boats showed Duke has what it takes to compete with the nation's best.
As Hurricane Matthew draws closer, the Blue Devils are still getting ready to race with the same intensity they take into any week.
On Aug. 29, 1975, The Chronicle wrote that there was a significant obstacle facing the women’s club crew team entering the program's second year. It did not have a boat.
Last week, the Blue Devils finished 17th at the national championship to cap off a season of progress—one in which the team found a new identity led by Cooke Carcagno and assistant coaches Chuck Rodosky and Chase Graham.
The Blue Devils capped off their first NCAA championship appearance by winning two C final races Sunday to end a historic season on a high note.
No. 19 Duke will take on 21 other teams Friday through Sunday on Lake Natoma in Gold River, Calif., in the program's first NCAA championship appearance in its 18-year history.
For the first time ever, the Blue Devils are heading to the NCAA championship.
No. 19 Duke tied its best finish ever by placing second at the ACC championship on Lake Hartwell in Clemson, S.C., Friday and Saturday, besting No. 16 Syracuse in a tiebreaker.
No. 19 Duke will compete in the ACC championship Friday and Saturday on Lake Hartwell in Clemson, S.C., looking to continue the program's rapid improvement in Cooke Carcagno's first season.
