The Minnesota rowing team prepared for this weekend’s home race with UCLA by racing in a home double dual last weekend.

The Gophers hosted their first-ever spring race at Lake Phalen in St. Paul on April 19. Minnesota competed in five events and placed second in the Varsity Eight race in a double dual with Iowa and Wisconsin.

The Gophers’ First Varsity Eight team of coxswain Katherine Nelson, Jackie Gagner at stroke, Amber Riopel, Heidi Rose, Melissa Roche, Sam Wangsgard, Jill Peters, Beth Hornby and Kirsten Kosloske finished second in behind Iowa. In a close race, the Hawkeyes finished in 6:39.0, followed by the Gophers in 6:42.3 and Wisconsin in 6:47.6. The split time between the Gophers and the Hawkeyes was a mere 3.3 seconds.

The event started with the Varsity Four race. Minnesota’s team of coxswain Catie Hill, Jenna Buskohl, Sarah Reed, Janette Gustafson and Casey Christensen came in third with a time of 7:32.7. Minnesota’s next competition of the day was in the Second Varsity Eight race, where the Gophers placed second behind Wisconsin’s winning boat. Emily Capen was the coxswain, with Stephanie Volberding, Shelby Williams, Kiley Theede, Therese Hrncirik, Anja Kroll, Ashford Kroll, Julie Huyck and Kari Larson ended the race in 7:23.00.

The Second Varsity Eight team of Leah Gross at coxswain, Beth Ratterman at stroke, Angela Hedin, Andrea Pierce, Mariel Gartner, Jessi Johnson, Alison Zylstra, Lora Sweezy and Lida Storch at bow finished in 7:05.0. Iowa won the race in 6:51.2.