Completed Event: Rowing at Head of the Charles on October 17, 2025 , , NTS
/
Final
Rowing
at Head of the Charles
2022 Season Preview: No. 14 Duke Rowing
2/23/2022 3:49:00 PM | Rowing
DURHAM – The No. 14 Duke rowing team enters the 2022 spring season looking to earn a third consecutive bid to the NCAA Championships.
The Blue Devils will compete at five regattas during the regular season, heading to five different states over a seven-week stretch. Duke then lines up against the best in the conference at the ACC Championship on Lake Hartwell in Clemson, S.C., in mid-May before potentially traveling to Sarasota, Fla., for the NCAA Championships in Memorial Day weekend.
The team gets its first taste of action this Saturday, Feb. 26, in a scrimmage against Virginia at Lake Michie in Bahama, N.C.
BUILDING OFF 2021 POSTSEASON SUCCESS
"This team wants to keep building off the momentum we had last year," Linsley said. "I think we know our potential. We have a lot of potential and I think we all can feel that, so we're ready to take it into the next gear."
DUKE IN THE RANKINGS
VETERAN PRESENCE
"We are proud of last season," Shunk said. "We faced many obstacles, had a young team, and rose to the occasion well. However, we have bigger and better plans for this season. This year we have a strong senior class, more racing experience, and are ready to go. I am confident my teammates know what it takes and are willing to put in the work."
YOUTH INFUSION
TAKING ON THE BIG TEN
REIGNING CHAMPIONS IN LOCAL COMPETITION
COOKE CARCAGNO ENTERS SEVENTH SEASON AT DUKE
"I am very excited for the 2022 Spring Season," Cooke Carcagno said. "It's been a very good fall and winter of training, and it's nice to see the hard work push our bar up very high this spring. I think this is the fastest depth I've see on the team since arriving in 2015. The seniors are doing a great job leading, the freshman are pushing into the established ranks, and every member of the team is working their hardest to ensure we leave this year with no regrets.
"There has certainly been plenty of obstacles, and I'm sure more to come, but we've shown a good deal of resiliency. In a COVID world, going with the flow is a skill no team can ignore, and we've had our fair share of personal setbacks and time out of the boat. Our captains have led on and off the water in ways that impress me every day. They are all heart, and show up every day to show this team how to race and who to be. Across every class and in every corner, there are fast athletes ready to don the Duke D and make history."
FOLLOW THE BLUE DEVILS
#GoDuke
The Blue Devils will compete at five regattas during the regular season, heading to five different states over a seven-week stretch. Duke then lines up against the best in the conference at the ACC Championship on Lake Hartwell in Clemson, S.C., in mid-May before potentially traveling to Sarasota, Fla., for the NCAA Championships in Memorial Day weekend.
The team gets its first taste of action this Saturday, Feb. 26, in a scrimmage against Virginia at Lake Michie in Bahama, N.C.
BUILDING OFF 2021 POSTSEASON SUCCESS
- Not counting the 2020 spring campaign that was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Duke has earned a spot at the NCAA Championships in each of the last two seasons after placing second overall at the ACC regatta in both years.
- Last May's ACC Championship saw the Blue Devils claim silver in the Grand Finals of the Varsity 8, Varsity 4 and Third Varsity 8 to tally up 84 points in the team standings, narrowly edging Syracuse for second place.
- With the standings undecided heading into the V8 Grand Final, Duke's lineup that included returnees Amelia Shunk, Megan Lee, Morgan Linsley, Sydney Johnson, Gabriella Salvati, Brenna Morley and McKendree Densel posted a silver time of 6:30.266.
- Johnson and Salvati were each named to the All-ACC First Team, while graduate student Tara Fagan garnered second-team honors.
- Duke received an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships in Sarasota and competed at the national regatta for the third time in program history.
- Duke's trip to the NCAA's was highlighted by the 2V8 boat finishing first in the C Final with a time of 6:43.416. It marked the program's third all-time win in an NCAA C Final, following the 2V8 and V4 in 2016.
- Juniors Megan Lee (First Team) and Morgan Linsley (Honorable Mention) were named Pocock All-Americans, becoming the 12th and 13th Blue Devils to do so. Lee was the fourth rower in Duke program history to earn first-team distinction.
"This team wants to keep building off the momentum we had last year," Linsley said. "I think we know our potential. We have a lot of potential and I think we all can feel that, so we're ready to take it into the next gear."
DUKE IN THE RANKINGS
- The preseason Pocock/CRCA poll was released Wednesday, Feb. 16, with the Blue Devils starting off as the nation's No. 14 team.
- Duke has held a spot in the top 20 in each of the last 22 released polls, dating back to April of 2019.
- The Blue Devils were ranked for the entirety of last season, concluding the spring at No. 16.
- Duke is one of three ACC teams ranked in this year's preseason poll, joining No. 5 Virginia and No. 11 Syracuse.
VETERAN PRESENCE
- Twenty of the 23 Blue Devils that competed at the 2021 NCAA Championships returned for this season, including two All-ACC picks – Sydney Johnson and Gabriella Salvati – and two All-Americans – Megan Lee and Morgan Linsley.
- The Duke roster features four graduate students and 13 seniors, including co-captain Amelia Shunk, who is a two-time CRCA Scholar-Athlete and the 2019 ACC Freshman of the Year.
- Serving as captains alongside Shunk are Johnson, Lee, Salvati and Lauren Sizemore.
"We are proud of last season," Shunk said. "We faced many obstacles, had a young team, and rose to the occasion well. However, we have bigger and better plans for this season. This year we have a strong senior class, more racing experience, and are ready to go. I am confident my teammates know what it takes and are willing to put in the work."
YOUTH INFUSION
- Though the Blue Devils will be led by their impressive crop of upperclassmen, this year's squad features a strong freshman class that has the ability to make an early impact.
- Five newcomers made their first appearance in the Duke blue at the Head of the Charles in October and provided a glimpse of what the future holds for DWR. Anya Hasija (coxswain), Lauren Brandmeyer, Mollie Nicol, Lily Abbott and Natalie Ashton traveled to Massachusetts and posted a finishing time of 18:27.037 in the historic event, less than one second off the pace of the winning Calgary Rowing Club. The resilient crew closed a 23-second deficit at the race's halfway point and earned the top time by a university boat in a field of 54 entrants.
- Jane Atkeson, Noelle Fuchs and Hannah Steven also showed off their talents during the fall slate, helping Duke's Novice 8+ boat finish first at the Head of the Hooch in Chattanooga, Tenn., and second at the Rivanna Romp in Charlottesville, Va.
TAKING ON THE BIG TEN
- Duke will face elite competition in back-to-back regattas in April, beginning with the Big Ten/ACC Double Dual on Saturday, April 2 in Columbus, Ohio.
- Last season's Double Dual was highlighted by the Varsity 8 outracing No. 7 Michigan for the first time in program history. The V4 and 2V8 also picked up head-to-head wins over Ohio State, which enters this season ranked No. 6 in the nation.
- The Blue Devils then head south to Sarasota for the Big Ten Invite, competing in what they hope will be the first of two trips to the Sunshine State.
REIGNING CHAMPIONS IN LOCAL COMPETITION
- Duke looks to defend a crown at its two closest regattas, beginning Saturday, March 5 at the Carolina Cup in Clemson, S.C.
- The Blue Devils have claimed the Carolina Cup each of the last five seasons, posting dominant results along the way. Last season, Duke finished three races over 10 seconds ahead of the next closest crew, including the 2V8 that saw the Blue Devils clear Clemson and North Carolina by 20 seconds.
- Duke and UNC are set to co-host the Lake Wheeler Invitational in Raleigh, N.C., held April 23-24. The Blue Devils have emerged as winners each of the last two years the event was held, with their 83-point total in 2021 besting Clemson for the Pocock Cup.
COOKE CARCAGNO ENTERS SEVENTH SEASON AT DUKE
- In six seasons at the helm of the Duke rowing program, head coach Megan Cooke Carcagno has turned the Blue Devils into perennial ACC contenders and aims to lead this year's team to unprecedented heights.
- The 2016 and 2019 ACC Coach of the Year has coached Duke to three NCAA Championship appearances (2016, 2019, 2021).
- Last season, she guided the team through a turbulent season surrounded by the COVID-19 pandemic that included limited team interactions and lineups. Still, the Blue Devils earned a medal at the ACC Championship for the fourth time in five full seasons under Cooke Carcagno (third silver) and had a strong showing at the NCAA Championships.
- She is joined on staff by associate head coach Chase Graham – who was a member of the CRCA National Staff of the Year in 2016 – along with assistant coaches Kendall Schmidt and Matt Carlsen, volunteer assistant coach Simon Carcagno, director of operations Emilie Gross and volunteer assistant Gabby Simons.
"I am very excited for the 2022 Spring Season," Cooke Carcagno said. "It's been a very good fall and winter of training, and it's nice to see the hard work push our bar up very high this spring. I think this is the fastest depth I've see on the team since arriving in 2015. The seniors are doing a great job leading, the freshman are pushing into the established ranks, and every member of the team is working their hardest to ensure we leave this year with no regrets.
"There has certainly been plenty of obstacles, and I'm sure more to come, but we've shown a good deal of resiliency. In a COVID world, going with the flow is a skill no team can ignore, and we've had our fair share of personal setbacks and time out of the boat. Our captains have led on and off the water in ways that impress me every day. They are all heart, and show up every day to show this team how to race and who to be. Across every class and in every corner, there are fast athletes ready to don the Duke D and make history."
FOLLOW THE BLUE DEVILS
- For more information on Duke rowing, including race schedules, news and updates, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching 'DukeROW.'
#GoDuke
Players Mentioned
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
Duke Athletics: A Tour of Campus
Saturday, October 19
Welcome to Duke
Saturday, October 19
A Century of Blue Devil Brilliance
Saturday, October 19
BDN Studios Presents: Relentless
Friday, October 11
