FAIRFAX STATION, Va. --- The first leg of championship season has come and gone as the Jacksonville men's rowing program concluded a dramatic Sunday of racing at the Occoquan Invitational. 

The Dolphins sent three eights up to Virginia for a weekend of competition against six other universities from around the country: St. Joe's, Hobart, Marietta, Loyola, San Diego and Marist.

Sunday opened with a round of qualifying heats before an afternoon of finals for silverware. The first Varsity Eight finished in third place of their heat, racing in 5:55.3. That pushed them into the petite final where they narrowly missed out on a trophy, placing second by 0.3 seconds with a time of 5:40.3.

The second Varsity Eight earned a second-place finish in their morning heat, locking in a     6:09.8 time. That booked a ticket to the grand final where JU locked in a 5:57.7 finish to secure third place.

The third Varsity Eight narrowly finished second, racing in 6:12.3, 2.2 second back of first place. In the grand final, Jacksonville shaved five seconds off its time to lock in a third-place finish with a time of 6:07.2.

Up Next
The Dolphins will gear up for the biggest race in the south next weekend as they prepare for the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta April 18-19.