The North Carolina rowing team started off the season in an ideal fashion last weekend, topping both Navy and Old Dominion.
“We have never beaten Navy before in my career at Carolina and I’m a senior,” Allie Davis said. “So that was huge for us.”
Davis, one of the captains on this year’s team, said that beating a school like Navy was a great way to start the season.
“Navy is traditionally a very good team and a very strong program,” Davis said. “They are very well-respected in the rowing community.
“It was huge for us to win over them any time, in any race whatsoever.”
The North Carolina eights A team placed first with a time of 17:30.0. Navy’s A team came in second with a 17:32.3, with Old Dominion taking third with a time of 17.55.0.
Next up for the Tar Heels is the first full-sized regatta (race) of the season in Fairfax, Virginia—the Occoquan Chase.
And the team hosting the race? George Mason University.
“They are kind of like our on-the-water rivals,” Davis said. “We see them a lot.”
“We always scrimmage them once a year in the spring. We always go to their home course twice a year—once in the fall and one in the spring—and they do their spring training trip at the same place we do usually.”
Davis said that starting the season off against high quality teams like Navy and Old Dominion should give them a smoother transition into the first full-sized race of the year.
“The fact that we started our season opener with Navy and Old Dominion, who are two very well regarded teams, it kind of makes this an easier transition into a bigger regatta.”
The next step for North Carolina is to continue the early-season success.
“We have a very new mantra on our team this year,” Davis said. “We are really trying to change the culture of the team.
“We are trying to bring more wins and make a culture of success for the program this year.”
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