TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Jacksonville University women's rowing met Alabama on the Black Warrior River Saturday morning where it continued its impressive spring outing with a pair of victories in the Varsity Eight and Novice Eight races.

"I am really proud of all of our boats but the star this week was the Varsity 8," said Head Coach Jim Mitchell. "We attacked right off the start and controlled the race against a good Alabama boat. Our 2V8 and V4 showed some good things but Alabama's depth showed in those races. The Freshmen 8 finished the day with a solid sprint for the win."

"We had a great day, but have to keep in mind that it is still early and we have a lot more speed to find."

With one-on-one races in both the V8 and 2V8, Jacksonville opened the day with a first-place time of 7:19.2. It was a tight race as Alabama finished 3.3 seconds after the Dolphins in 7:22.5.

In the slimmest margin of victory, the Dolphins' Novice Eight rowed in 1.6 seconds before the Crimson Tide's "A" boat. The second-place crew completed its event with a time of 7:23.9 while Alabama's "B" crew came in third at 7:48.7.

Alabama's Second Varsity Eight earned the program its first win of the day at 7:17.4. Jacksonville finished in 7:33.3.

There were five boats in the Varsity Four race – four from Alabama and one from JU- and the Dolphins finished fifth with a time of 8:48.4.

Jacksonville returns to the water Friday, April 3 for the FIRA Championships.

Jacksonville Lineups