Tents clustered on the shoreline, and a patchwork of team flags blew in the wind that chopped the waters of Lake Wheeler. At the annual invitational co-hosted by Duke and North Carolina, rowers from across the country gathered for many of their last races.
The two-day regatta pitted No. 18 Duke against 16 other teams, stretching from as far west as Washington State and as far south as Miami. Of the group, seven were members of the ACC, and four were ranked in the latest CRCA Pocock Poll — with Duke claiming membership in both demographics. Five boats and 15 races later, the Blue Devils walked away with a second-place title.
“It was a great event for us,” head coach Adrian Spracklen said. “I think it really highlighted some areas that we're strong in and some areas that we have time to improve upon going into ACCs in three weeks.”
In Saturday’s Second Varsity Four race, Duke faced crews from Boston University, Gonzaga and No. 12 Virginia. A battle from the start, the Blue Devil boat — consisting of Ava Liebmann, Avery Packard, Thea Lapham, Vivian Teeley and Jane Atkeson — saw a contested opening 1,000 meters. With only a couple hundred to go, the crew was able to pull ahead of the Terriers to secure a first-place finish and Duke’s only gold in the second day of competition.
“That was a great start for us, and that was very motivational. It raises spirits. It raises people's belief in ‘Okay, this is going to be a good day for Duke,’” Spracklen said.
However, the early highlight for the Blue Devil team was tempered by a rocky performance by its final boat. As high winds whipped turbulent waters, the crew too became shaky.
The Varsity Eight struggled to start its race, falling into fourth place at the beginning behind Virginia, Boston University and Gonzaga. The Cavaliers quickly surged ahead to create a gap that they carried to the finish, which meant that for the remaining trio, it was a battle for second place. In the final sprint, all three boats powered towards the finish, but it was the Blue Devils who were able to inch ahead. They claimed silver by just over a second as Boston and Gonzaga followed narrowly behind.
“We had probably the poorest start we've had ever, and our crew showed their resilience by the fact that even going down and losing a lot of time in the beginning, they were able to come back and take that second spot,” Spracklen said. “From that perspective, that was very encouraging, and it created a lot more confidence and instilled the belief in them that they can do it.”
Split by the two polar races of Saturday morning, three crews joined the V8 in second-place finishes against Virginia during the final day of competition.
The Third Varsity Eight crew opened the morning behind the Cavaliers by just 1.369 seconds. As the wind picked up throughout the day, teams contended with choppy waters. The First Varsity Four demonstrated a similar resilience to the V8, withstanding the currents to push ahead of Gonzaga after briefly losing the advantage and falling into third. In the following race, the Second Varsity Eight crew handled the turbulent conditions to coast a full boat length ahead of Boston.
“It's a skill to row in rough water, and you've got to have good blade work, and it's being disciplined and practicing in it,” Spracklen said. “Some of the boats handled it well, some didn't do quite so well. So, that's an area that we will spend more time doing.”
Unfortunately, finding the conditions to simulate a regatta like the Blue Devils faced can be difficult, especially at the lakes they practice on.
“Lake Michie has such good water, sometimes it's hard to find rough water or windy water,” Spracklen said. “Certainly trying to recreate this can be a challenge sometimes, but it's a fact of being an outdoor sport.”
Despite the challenging weather, Duke’s performance on the second day followed up its strong opening on the first. Six first-place finishes and four tight second-place finishes had given the host team 59 points, and it eventually tallied 82 to secure second in the final team standings.
The opening races of the regatta began with two second-place finishes by the 3V8 and 2V4 boats to rival North Carolina. Eager to avenge their teammates against the Tar Heels, the Blue Devil V4 and 2V8 crews surged to take home first-place finishes. In the second round, all four teams were able to clear out the competition with four straight winning finishes. Together they beat out the collective of No. 20 Columbia, Georgetown, Tulsa and Jacksonville.
Securing runner-up at the Lake Wheeler Invitational proved to be a strong ending to Spracklen’s first season leading Duke. The regatta, the last of the regular season for his inaugural squad, was also the last home meet for the senior Blue Devils.
“I've always said that you can't have a good team without good seniors,” Spracklen said. “What they've given to the team and the impact they've had talking to people and other teammates has been really incredible; and it's people like that that keep the team and the culture that we have in such a positive light.”
Hoping to extend its time in Duke Blue, the team now sets its sights on the 2025 ACC Rowing Championships, taking place May 16 and 17. Duke will face a competitive field in Clemson, S.C., especially with the addition of California, SMU and Stanford, as it pursues a title.
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