Sarasota, Fla. – The University of Iowa rowing team competed in Big Ten Invitational on Friday at Nathan Benderson Park.

The Hawkeyes raced in the 1V8, 2V8, 3V8, 4V8, 1V4, 2V4, and 3V4 with a stacked field consisting of No. 9 Michigan, No. 13 Duke, No. 15 Rutgers, and No. 16 Indiana.

Iowa’s top placement of the day came from the 2V8 in the morning session, placing first by .93 seconds. The Hawkeyes had five other boats finish second comfortably in their races.

Hawkeyes will return back in action tomorrow morning beginning at 8:20 a.m. (CT) with the 2V4. Fans can watch live at https://rhstv.com/bigten or follow along at https://legacy.herenow.com/results/#/races/21215/results.

QUOTING HEAD COACH JEFF GARBUTT

“Day one was a great test for our squad today. The competition was some of the best we have seen this season and we learned how to go through two rounds of racing with stiff competition. Seeing our crews race hard in each round and rallying around each other in the second round was great to see. The weather was beautiful, but the heat added a new twist to our race prep. I can’t thank my staff enough, especially our Athletic Trainer, Kezia DiGioia, for having the athletes ready to race hard again in round two. Their conditioning was tested, and they responded with some very inspiring racing. So proud of all their efforts and can’t wait to see them take the lessons of today into our final round of racing tomorrow morning.”

QUOTING SENIOR EMMA MASK

“We ran a great race this morning which gave us a great opportunity to show our speed against some fast teams. Competition was tough this afternoon which reminds us we have room for growth. I’m excited to continue getting faster in our races to come.”

 QUOTING SENIOR ABBY JAYNES

“Today was a good step forward for our program as a whole, and we were able to show our speed with fast competition. I think if we continue to build on consistency and focus on the success we had today, we will end the weekend on a high note!”

 QUOTING SENIOR CLAIRE WRAGGE

“Iowa raced hard during both races in the Florida heat today. We continue to focus on growth within our boats and and as a team overall. Looking forward to more hard racing tomorrow with my crew as we strive to get better each race!”

 QUOTING SOPHOMORE OLIVIA SMOTHERS

“Throughout the day, our team did an awesome job executing the race plans and technical changes we have been practicing. We are excited to compete in more tight races tomorrow.”