The Iowa rowing team started its season with a clean sweep, capturing first place in all three events at the Head of the Des Moines regatta on Sept. 26.

The Hawkeyes finished first in both the collegiate 8s and collegiate 4s, and senior rowers Emily Katlinich and Megan Erickson came in first in the pairs, beating Kansas State, Nebraska, and Creighton.

The rowers’ time of 16:03.0 during the collegiate 8s broke a course record.

Iowa head coach Mandi Kowal said she was happy with the Hawkeyes’ competitive fire, showing up to the first regatta of the season serious, prepared, and organized. That paid dividends on the water, she said.

“I was really pleased with how they took it seriously,” Kowal said. “They didn’t check out because there was only one other D-I school there. They were motivated. They were organized. It was kind of fun.”

Kowal said another key to Iowa’s solid team performance was the coxswains’ ability to help their boats navigate the Des Moines River’s various obstacles.

“The coxswains did a really nice job this race,” Kowal said. “It’s got some fun turns and situations where you are going under bridges and the coxswains did a really nice job.”

Additionally, the Hawkeyes had several boats finish in the top five in all three events, a performance that was a statement. The team’s goal is to have no weaknesses.

Katlinich said the team had an exceptional day — the Hawkeyes hit all of their time goals and maintained their lines on the water. She said the hardest part was that many of the rowers raced in all three events with little rest.

“We had three races within a few hours,” she said. “We only had like an hour to eat and recover. The hardest part was just rallying yourself after each race and prepping for the next one. You had to be mentally ready to take on all that distance in one day. I’m still feeling it now.”

Even with the dominating performance at the Head of the Des Moines, the Hawkeyes are implementing strategies to prevent the team from hitting cruise control.

As the first race of the season, rowers have plenty of things to improve, such as drooping shoulders and heads after lengthy rowing sessions.

Senior coxswain Sheila Rinozzi said it was exciting to compete for the first time this season after practicing for more than a month, and the race was a great way to analyze the team’s progress, especially the younger rowers.

The Hawkeyes get two weeks to hone their skills and technique before competing at the Head of the Rock regatta in Rockford, Ill.

“We did pretty well, and I think everyone responded to the challenge well,” Rinozzi said. “There’s a lot of technique that still needs to be improved, [but] it’s the first race of the season, so we got to see where we are at.”