FAIRFAX STATION, Va. – The George Mason University women's rowing team hosted one of collegiate rowing's most unique events Sunday, when the Green & Gold raced in the conference challenge regatta, better known as the Mason Invitational.
 
In the second year in the regatta's current format, boats from the A-10, CAA and Big 12 take part in intra-conference heats in the morning. Then, in the afternoon, a boat from each conference takes part in each final, with points awarded based on finish. All three finals within a subsection of boat (i.e. Varsity 8+, Varsity 4+) have the same point breakdown, giving equal importance to each race.
 
This season, the Big 12 was represented by Kansas, West Virginia and Old Dominion. The A-10 featured George Washington, George Mason and Saint Joseph's, while the CAA included Villanova, Eastern Michigan and Delaware.
 
After the races had been scored, the Big 12 was declared the winner with 41 points, marking the second time the conference has won the regatta. The CAA finished second (36 points), while the A-10 was third (31).
 
"The regatta was a huge success again this year," head coach Ted Nagorsen said. "We talk a lot about the unique format and the opportunity it gives these teams to race each other, match up, and compare conferences. It's really cool to see these teams come out and enjoy it. I thought the group that put the race course together did a great job of supporting us."
 
The Varsity 8+ paced the Patriots in their home regatta, putting together a pair of solid performances. Mason placed second in their A-10 heat in an efficient time of 6:54.10. The time put Mason ahead of Saint Joseph's by six seconds and qualified the Green & Gold for the petite final.
 
In that race, Mason went sub-6:50 and raced in a competitive showdown with Old Dominion and Villanova. The Patriots placed third in 6:48.60, just three seconds behind the Wildcats.
 
"The Varsity 8+ had a good day and put together two strong races," Nagorsen said. "We've raced GW a lot this year, but the margins have remained the same. We're getting faster, but they are too. We were able to get on top of Saint Joe's which was good. In the afternoon, it was a battle. We got a wake from a fishing boat which slowed down all the crews evenly. But I thought they performed well in a near identical format to the A-10 Championship."
 
The Second Varsity 8+ struggled on Sunday after finding a lot of speed in the Knecht Cup this past Saturday. The Green & Gold finished third in their heat and final races, in times of 7:07.90 and 7:11.00, respectively. That group is talented, and will use the next two weeks to train and bring their best performance for A-10s.
 
"The Second Varsity 8+ trains well and shows us that the speed is there," Nagorsen said. "We just need to learn to apply it come race day."
 
Mason's Varsity 4+ crew showed great improvement from morning to afternoon on their home water. After finishing in 8:17.50 in the morning heat, the boat improved by more than 12 seconds, crossing the line in 8:04.80.
 
"The Varsity 4+ student-athletes are still figuring out their speed and where they are," Nagorsen said. "When they do figure it out, I think they could surprise some people."
 
In similar fashion, Mason's Third Varsity 8+ also picked up some serious speed in the afternoon. After an opening heat time of 8:02.20, the Patriots upped their game in the afternoon while placing in a time of 7:47.80. That's an improvement of more than 14 seconds.
 
"The third Varsity 8+ came up with a great effort and they represented the Mason name well," Nagorsen added. "In our home regatta I'm proud of the way they rowed."
 
With the Mason Invite now complete, the Patriots take a fortnight break to prepare for the annual conference regatta. The next few days will be all about preparation, preparation and more preparation.
 
"We have two weeks now before A-10s," Nagorsen said. "We don't have to worry any races coming up and we can really evaluate where we are with the boats we have, the lineups we have and the training we're doing. We can take a deep breath, slow down and figure out how to find a few more seconds of speed in each boat."
 
RESULTS
Varsity 8+
A-10 Heat
1. George Washington – 6:42.30
2. George Mason – 6:54.10
3. Saint Joseph's – 7:00.30
 
Petite Final
1. Old Dominion – 6:41.00 (9)
2. Villanova – 6:45.00 (6)
3. George Mason – 6:48.60 (3)
 
Second Varsity 8+
A-10 Heat
1. George Washington – 6:47.80
2. Saint Joseph's – 6:58.30
3. George Mason 7:07.90
 
Third Final
1. Eastern Michigan – 6:50.70 (6)
2. Old Dominion – 6:55.30 (4)
3. George Mason – 7:11.00 (2)
 
Varsity 4+
A-10 Heat
1. Saint Joseph's – 7:31.40
2. George Washington – 7:40.40
3. George Mason – 8:17.50
 
Third Final
1. West Virginia – 7:48.80 (3)
2. Eastern Michigan – 8:01.20 (2)
3. George Mason – 8:04.80 (1)
 
Third Varsity 8+
A-10 Heat
1. George Washington – 7:01.80
2. Saint Joseph's – 7:03.10
3. George Mason – 8:02.20
 
Third Final
1. Old Dominion – 7:19.10
2. George Mason – 7:47.80
 
Conference Scoring
1. Big 12 – 41
2. CAA – 36
3. A-10 - 31

LINEUPS
Varsity 8+
B- Nicole Van Oort
2- Nida Peleda
3- Megan Gooding
4- Maria Justiniano
5- Caitlin Mahoney
6- Taylor Williams
7- Anne Graf
S- Elizabeth Rush
C – Kathleen Lackatose

Second Varsity 8+ 
B - Emily Holt
2 - Caroline Larson
3 - Leah Gillespie
4 - Emily Egdahl
5 - Anna Close
6 - Elizabeth Johnson
7 - Xander Huffman
S - Katelyn James
C - Fabriana Velasquez

Third Varsity 8+
B - Brooke Malota
2 - Denise Gormley
3 - Rachel Cappetta
4 - Katelyn Raney
5 - Jasmine Nivar
6 - Shelby Sternberg
7 - Olivia Wolf
S - Hannah Sawn
C - Kate Adams

Varsity 4+ 
B - Sarah Ward
2 - Brianna Burke
3 - Corinne Morrow
4 - Chelsea Cluck
C - Elizabeth Tubb