SARASOTA, Fla. --- The Jacksonville women's rowing team completed its biggest weekend of rowing so far this season, showing well at the Sarasota 2K. The Dolphins raced first, second and third varsity eights and first and second varsity fours.

The Dolphins finished third, only behind UCF and Iowa, in the second varsity four with a 07:59.85 time to set the pace for the day and secure a spot in Saturday's Final B. In that final, JU earned a place on the podium with a third-place finish, posting a time of 07:48.94.

The first varsity four placed similarly well, earning fourth in its heat behind UCF, Iowa and UMass with a     07:55.30 finish in the Friday heat to clinch their spot in the Petite Final. Jacksonville earned a fourth-place finish in that final with a time of 08:20.19.

The first varsity eight posted a sub-seven minute, 06:49.58 finish in the Friday heat to clinch a spot in Saturday's Final C. The Dolphins were the class of the heat, besting the field by more than seven seconds with a 07:13.19 finish. 

In the opening heat, the second varsity eight placed behind Michigan State by the narrowest possible margin. The Dolphins finished with a 07:01.14, 0.01 seconds behind the Spartans in fourth. 

Not to be dismayed by the close miss in the prelims, Jacksonville blew away the field in the C Final. JU posted a time of 07:19.95, nearly seven minutes clear of the field.

The third varsity eight placed fifth in Friday's preliminary heat with a time of 07:21.33. In the Petite Final Saturday morning, the Dolphins placed second ahead of Michigan State and Kansas State with a 07:27.62 finish.

Head Coach Mike Lane
"It was a really exciting weekend of racing for us.  The professionalism our athletes displayed through Friday and Saturdays racing was exactly what we could have hoped for!  They raced hard, learned a bunch and had an excellent weekend.   Can't wait to see where these women will take this program this year!

Up Next
The Dolphins will get time to recharge and build towards the final sprint of the season. Jacksonville's next race will be at the Knecht Cup Regatta in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, April 11 and 12.