Duke Wraps Up Successful Weekend at Head of the Hooch

Saturday, November 6

Chattanooga, Tenn.

Duke University

Head of the Hooch

Duke Rowing Practice at Lake Michie on October 2, 2021 at Bahama, NC.

Duke Wraps Up Successful Weekend at Head of the Hooch

11/8/2021 1:42:00 PM | Rowing

RESULTS

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Duke rowing team took first place in seven races over two days of competition at the Head of the Hooch regatta in Chattanooga, Tenn.

"Overall, I think it was a really nice weekend for the entire team," head coach Megan Cooke Carcagno said. "I think it was a great chance for us all to shake off the cobwebs of fall racing, which we haven't done as an entire team since the fall of 2019. It was fun to race three or four times down the course and allow everyone to make what I call 'Good mistakes' and to learn and grow. Everyone embraced the challenge of trying to get as much experience under their belt as possible."

The Blue Devils' Novice 4+ boat got the weekend started with a first-place time of 16:00.180 in a field of 32 entrants. Duke's crew consisted of five newcomers – Audrey Kline (coxswain), Lauren Brandmeyer, Mollie Nicol, Lily Abbott and Natalie Ashton. Kline made her collegiate debut, while the other four picked up where they left off in a successful run at the Head of the Charles on Oct. 23.

In the Women's Championship 8+ race that followed, Duke's A boat posted a top time of 14:03.065. The lineup included reigning Pocock/CRCA All-American Megan Lee as well as All-ACC selections Sydney Johnson and Gabriella Salvati. Allison Carr, who joined the Blue Devils as a graduate transfer during the offseason after four years at UCLA, made her first appearance in the Duke blue and white.

The Blue Devils took two of the top three finishes in a 29-team field for the Novice 8+ event. Duke's A boat featured all five of the Novice 4+ winners and also included freshmen Hannah Steven, Noelle Fuchs and Jane Atkeson. Sophomore Rosa Golchin, who joined the program as a walk-on in September, competed at her first collegiate regatta with the A crew.

The B lineup featured nine walk-ons, coxed by sophomore Emily Nagamoto. Duke made it a clean sweep of Saturday's events when the Women's Championship 4+ saw the Blue Devils post the six fastest times, led by their A boat coming in at 15:18.755. That lineup included sophomore Ithika Senthilnathan (coxswain), junior Lauren Sizemore, Johnson, Lee and sophomore Kathryn Nash.

"I was really impressed with the maturity that I saw out of our A boat in the Championship 8," Cooke Carcagno said. "I thought they pulled together a nice win there. I also thought the depth I saw between all of the 4's and the 8's over both races was really solid."

Duke closed out the weekend with three first-place results out of four races it competed in on Sunday. In the lone race that the Blue Devils did not take the top spot, they still placed two boats in the top four in a 13-team field. In the Women's Open 4+ that followed, Duke once again boasted each of the top six finishers, led by the A boat clocking a mark of 15:35.887.

Lee and Nash kept the strong results coming with a first-place showing in the Women's Open 2-. A native of Chattanooga, Nash helped race to a time of 16:25.867, nearly 20 seconds faster than the next finisher. Sizemore and senior Amelia Shunk took second, while Salvati and senior Grace Butero took third and Abbott and Johnson placed fifth.

Duke's final event was the Women's Open 8+ in which the Blue Devils claimed the top four times in a field of five entrants. The Duke A boat that placed first with a time of 14:25.615 was coxed by junior Nikita Suri.

The Blue Devils are next in action on Sunday, Nov. 14 when they travel to Charlottesville, Va., for the Rivanna Romp. More information on the regatta, including heat sheets and start times, will be available on GoDuke.com ahead of the first competition.

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