Norfolk, Va. - The Old Dominion rowing team finished action in the Head of the Lafayette. Each class at ODU competed against one another and the senior class finished at the front of the pack.
“It was a fun day for the team racing. We made line-ups based on class years, which made things even more interesting and fun,” said ODU Head Coach Brian Conley.
Old Dominion competed in the Open 8+ and the senior class, ODU D, came out on top with a time of 18:00, followed by the sophomore class, ODU B, finishing at 18:28. The junior class, ODU C, came in third at 18:38.
“The sophomores, juniors and seniors led their event from start to finish, so it was really an ODU vs ODU vs ODU race. The sophomores got out quick to a strong lead while the juniors and seniors battled hard for the first half of the race with each other,” added Conley.
“At the 180-degree turn was where much of the difference happened for the crews. The sophomores were the first to the turn and while they got it around quick, the juniors and seniors got to the turn nearly at the same time and closed the advantage the sophomores had created. The seniors got the best of the turn and used that momentum to propel them to victory throughout the second half of the race,” said Conley.
The freshman crew, ODU A, competed as the lone boat in the Open 4+, finishing with a time of 22:30.
“The freshmen 4+ started off the day of racing and while they were the only boat in their race, that didn’t prevent them from chasing down the race that started just before them. The freshmen were able to catch and pass an eight that was in the previous race ahead of them. Seeing their tenacity is only going to pay off dividends for the future,” added Conley.
A full list of the event’s results can be found here.
“This was definitely the most competitive we have ever seen the classes race each other. As a coach you love to see the progress as a team and have your seniors be leaders of speed and at the same time see the underclassmen not be afraid to compete with them and make them earn it.” said Conley.
ODU rowing is back in action on November 2 where they will compete in the Head of the Occoquan in Fairfax, Va.