DELAND, Fla. (March 14, 2026) – The Rollins men's rowing team opened its road slate at the Stetson Showdown on the St. Johns River, battling challenging conditions against a competitive field that included Jacksonville, Embry-Riddle, Wesleyan, and Stetson.
Variable crosswinds ranging from 5–18 mph created rough water throughout the day, forcing crews to adjust as conditions shifted between cross-head and cross-tail winds.
The highlight of the day for the Tars came from the Novice 8, which turned in the closest finish for Rollins in its opening race. Competing against Wesleyan's third and fourth varsity crews, part of a Division III IRA National Championship program, the Tars finished just 0.6 seconds behind one boat and five seconds off the winning crew.
The Novice 8 later posted a time of 6:48.1, continuing to gain valuable experience in a competitive field.
The Varsity 8 and Second Varsity 8 faced a more difficult outing, unable to translate a strong week of training into race-day performance. The Varsity 8 raced Jacksonville and Embry-Riddle in one of the day's feature events, while the Second Varsity 8 posted a time of 7:36.6 in later racing.
"There is not much to say," said head coach Pistor. "We will pick things back up this week and continue the work we have been putting in. Crews are allowed to have off days, we don't plan on seeing any more."
Rollins will look to rebound next weekend at the John Ferriss Regatta in Gainesville, Georgia, before returning to Florida for the Sarasota 2K on March 28, a key opportunity to measure speed against in-state competition.
