CHERRY HILL, N.J. --- The Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference title is coming home. The Jacksonville Dolphins raised their ninth all-time MAAC trophy and seventh crown under head coach Mike Lane.

The Dolphins were dominant all day, winning all three of the four finals contested Sunday morning.

The first Varsity Four opened the championship scoring with an early silver medal. Jacksonville placed second behind Marist, finishing with a 7:32.810 finish. From there, the Dolphins Eights seized control of the championships to lead JU to the ultimate victory.

The second Varsity Eight, who had won at the MAAC Championships four years in a row, was dominant the entire race. The Dolphins won with a time of 06:48.493. Jacksonville led by at least a boatlength nearly the entire way, and JU held off a late charge from Marist to hold on to a 2.613 second victory.

With the close finishes in the first two races, it came down to the Varsity Eight final to decide the conference crown.

Jacksonville started fast out of the blocks, resting in second place neck-and-neck with Marist over the first 500 meters of the race. Right as the crews passed the 500 meter mark, the Dolphins made their charge, pulling ahead by a nose.

By the 1000 meter mark, Jacksonville was leading by half a boat length. The Dolphins maintained their edge through the next 500 meters, keeping the Red Foxes at bay as the crews came to the finishing stretch of the championship.

As the crews crossed the 1500 meter mark, JU took its biggest lead yet, leading by a full boat length. Rival crews tried to close the gap, with Marist and Sacred Heart searching for a final push, but the Dolphins were in a groove, cruising over the finish line to lead Jacksonville back to glory.

In the end, JU took first with a 6:43.185 time, more than three seconds clear of the field.

The Dolphins had five rowers named to the All-MAAC first team in the aftermath of the racing: seniors Anne Geurts and Kayla Pelletier, junior Holly Rosser, sophomore Amy Downing and freshman Tayte Swenson. Sophomore Liz Sauter was named to the All-MAAC second team.

In addition to the three championship crews, the second Varsity Four cleared the field. JU's A Crew took first with a 7:50.070 finish, while the Dolphins B crew took silver with a 7:54.643.

Head Coach and Director of Rowing Mike Lane
"Today was a product of what happened one year ago!  We faced disappointment and how this group responded is truly amazing. They were going to take nothing less then a win today and that's what they did! Their goal was to reset the standard of JU Women's Rowing and that's what they did!! Highest team GPA in program history, points champions at SIRA for first time ever and now MAAC Champions with an opportunity to have the best NCAA performance in program history. What an amazing way to wrap this year up!   

Lastly to our amazing seniors thank you! It's been an amazing ride and I can't thank you enough."

Final Standings
Jacksonville - 35 Points
Marist - 28
Sacred Heart - 27
Canisius - 14
Stetson - 13
Fairfield - 9