Varsity Four Shines in Day One of Rocky Top Invitational

Varsity Four Shines in Day One of Rocky Top Invitational

4/3/2026 10:00:00 PM | Rowing

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – Duke's Varsity Four crew of coxswain Ava Kellman, Grace Matos, Vivienne Foley, Sophia Greco and Addison Roles highlighted the opening day of the Rocky Top Invitational in Oak Ridge, Tenn., with a first-place finish over No. 14 Penn, UCLA and Clemson.

The Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight and Second Varsity Four will race in the first heat of the semifinal round Saturday morning while the Varsity Four and Third Varsity Eight will advance to the second heat.

Semifinals will begin on Saturday morning starting at 8 a.m., followed by finals beginning at 11:54 a.m. There will be two finals heats in each race. The top final will feature the top two from each semifinal and the next fastest boat, while the consolation final will have the remaining crews.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Third Varsity Eight opened the afternoon session with a third-place time of 6:59.453, following behind a pair of nationally ranked boats in No. 17 Alabama and No. 5 Tennessee.
Duke's Second Varsity Eight followed with a second-place finish, clocking a time of 7:33.414. The Blue Devils were side by side with the crew from UCLA for the first half of the race until the Bruins pulled ahead in the final 500 meters to claim the victory.
The Varsity Four powered past their competition in the following race, crossing the finish line in 7:16.593, over eight seconds ahead of Penn in second.
In the first heat of the Second Varsity Eight race, Duke secured a second-place finish behind a time of 6:36.128. The time was the third-fastest overall in the Second Varsity Eight event.
The Blue Devils' Varsity Eight closed out the evening, recording a time of 6:33.482 to finish second, just three seconds after the first-place Bruins.
To view the full results from day one, click here.