Blue Devils Earn Second-Place Finish at Lake Wheeler Invitational

Blue Devils Earn Second-Place Finish at Lake Wheeler Invitational

4/25/2026 5:41:00 PM | Rowing

RALEIGH, N.C. – No. 14 Duke rowing earned a second-place finish at the annual Lake Wheeler Invitational after two days of racing against a highly competitive field of 20 teams, including seven top 25 opponents.

The Blue Devils entered the final day tied for first with No. 8 Virginia after sweeping all 10 races and earning 66 team points.

The Cavaliers brought home the Pocock Cup for a second straight year after tallying 98 team points during the invitational. The Blue Devils finished with 83 points while No. 13 Alabama (79), No. 15 Miami (74) and No. 21 North Carolina (63) rounded out the top five teams.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Duke's Third Varsity Eight and Second Varsity Four opened the morning with third-place times of 6:56.700 and 7:23.270, respectively, in their final races.
In their best performance of the weekend, the Varsity Four crossed the finish line in 7:07.850 to secure a second place finish, trailing only No. 8 Virginia.
The Blue Devils' Second Varsity Eight earned their spot on the podium, finishing third overall with a time of 6:34.110, staying competitive with the Cavaliers and Tar Heels.
No. 8 Virginia claimed the winning time in the Varsity Eight race but it came down to a battle with Duke and Clemson's top crews for second and third. The Blue Devils stroked their way to a second-place finish, edging the Tigers at the finish line, for a time of 6:20.210 to round out the competition on Lake Wheeler.
To view the full results of the invitational, click here.