NORFOLK, Va. -- The Old Dominion women's rowing team opened its spring season with a strong performance against George Mason on Saturday on the Lafayette River.
"The girls have done a lot of hard training the past three months," said head coach Daniel Garbutt. "We wanted to out here and put on a show for Senior Day. There were a lot of faithful out on the shores today braving the wind and less-than-favorable temperatures. So, I'm pretty proud of the way those Monarchs did today."
The competition, which was Old Dominion's only home event of the 2015-16 season, featured three different flights of races.
The first flight featured Old Dominion's No. 1 and No. 2 Varsity 8 boats competing against George Mason's No. 1 boat. The second flight pitted ODU's No. 3 Varsity 8 and its top Novice boat against GMU's No. 2 Varsity boat, and the final flight featured a pair of ODU's Novice boats against GMU's No. 3 Varsity boat. Each flight raced the 1,000-meter course three times.
Saturday also served as Senior Day for the rowing program. A total of 14 seniors were honored in a post-race ceremony at the ODU Rowing Center.
"It's going to be tough for me to see them leave, because of all the changes within the program that they have been a part of," said Garbutt about the senior class. "Those were big milestones in terms of growth, direction and philosophy. It means a lot to have people who are that readily adaptable, composed and confident, and that goes a long way."
UP NEXT
The Lady Monarchs return to action next week with the UNC Invitational, hosted by North Carolina, on Friday, March 25. In addition to ODU and the Tar Heels, West Virginia and Georgetown will also be competing.
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