OAK RIDGE, Tenn. --- On the banks of Melton Hill Lake between the rolling hills of the east Tennessee mountains, the Jacksonville men's rowing program put in the work in the penultimate regatta of the regular season.

The Dolphins picked up a pair of wins in a successful weekend at the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association regatta. Jacksonville won the varsity pair and Novice Four as part of a five-crew weekend.

The pair, featuring junior Dominic D'Aloia and freshman Webster Hurst, took home the gold with a 7:44.138 finish, nearly four seconds clear of challengers from Clemson, North Georgia and Vanderbilt.

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The Novice Four earned valuable experience in the competitive fire en route to a title. They were JU's first crew on the water Saturday morning, finishing in 7:17.191 to secure second in their heat and clinch their spot in the semis.

In Saturday night's semifinal, the Dolphins blew away the field with a 7:51.452 finish, more than five seconds clear of anyone else in the heat. That momentum carried into Sunday where the rookies turned in their best race yet.

Jacksonville raced in 7:02.565, a photo-finish ahead of Vanderbilt. The Dolphins won by less than half a second, finding the finishing gear to secure the glory. The novice finish was strong enough it would've been the eighth fastest time for the varsity fours on Sunday.

The Varsity Four finished third in its opening heat, but with a 7:11.423 finish, they secured a spot in the semifinals with one of the top times in the first round. In Saturday afternoon's semifinal, the Dolphins again came in third, posting a 7:24.778 finish.

JU missed out on the A final, but the Dolphins beat the field of the B final by nearly three seconds, posting a weekend-best 7:01.855 finish.

Jacksonville had a pair of eights that showed well for the week, as well. The second Varsity Eight was one of the top finishers of the weekend. The Dolphins cruised to victory in their opening heat with a 6:12.296 time. 

JU clinched its spot in the A final with a second place finish in 6:23.536. In the final, Jacksonville secured its fastest time of the weekend to lock in the bronze medal, ahead of the likes of Notre Dame and Embry-Riddle. The Dolphins clocked a time of 6:09.465.

The first Varsity Eight started strong with a second-place, 6:15.760 finish in the qualifying heat. The momentum carried into the semifinals where JU finished second in its heat, clocking a 5:58.987 time to secure a place in the A final.
In the final race of the entire weekend, the Dolphins placed sixth with a time of 5:51.346.

Head Coach Preston Weinard
"I'm so proud of how our squad represented JU this weekend! Each race was gutsy, every crew showed a lot of grit and purpose, and I'm very proud of the character of these young men and women. 

Things get edgy in the competitive arena. Emotions are high, energy is through the roof, but it's all about executing your best race at the right time, and finding joy in competing for 2000 meters. I'm so proud of JU Men's Rowing this weekend for bringing home two trophies, a bronze medal in the 2V8+, a victory in the B final for the Varsity 4+, and gutsy race in the Varsity 8+. We have some work to do before Dad Vails, so God Bless The Work!"

Up Next
After a week off, the Dolphins will head to New Jersey for their biggest regatta of the Spring at Dad Vail. Racing will run Friday May 8 and Saturday May 9.