Iowa senior rower Haylie Miller said the Hawkeyes were going to Big Ten Duals in Columbus, Ohio, on April 9 not for the experience but to win races.

The Hawkeyes were able to do both.

While losing in duals against No. 9 Ohio State and Indiana, Iowa’s first and second varsity 4 boats claimed victories in the morning session, and the second novice 8 boat recorded a first-place finish in the afternoon. In the dual meets, Iowa lost to Indiana, 37-24, and fell to the Buckeyes, 45-24.

“Our 4s went out and did a really nice job,” said head coach Mandi Kowal, and the Hawkeyes raced well against tough competition.

Iowa’s first varsity 4 boat completed the course on the Scioto River in a time of 7:39.9, besting second-place Rhode Island by 5.9 seconds. The second varsity 4 boat topped Bucknell by 9.5 seconds with a time of 7:55.00. Both varsity 4 boats finished second behind Ohio State in the event’s second session.

Kowal said she was a little disappointed with the performance of the varsity 8 boat in the opening session but liked the way the team responded to changes made for the second session of racing.

“We really beat ourselves in the morning, and we weren’t moving the boat well,” she said. “They came out in the afternoon and rowed effectively against Ohio State, and I was pleased with that.”

Both varsity 8 boats finished second in each of their two races. Kowal said she was pleased with the first varsity 8 boat closing the gap on Ohio State between the two sessions. The Hawkeyes were 12 seconds slower than the Buckeyes in the morning but only 5.4 seconds slower when the teams faced in the afternoon.

“That’s the one thing I really like about this team,” Kowal said. “When we give them ways to improve, they really respond to it.”

Iowa’s second novice 8 boat claimed the other Hawkeye victory, edging Ohio State by three-tenths of a second in the afternoon session. The first boat finished second in both sessions. Novice coach Scott Ramsey said the novice boats improved from their first races, but there was still a lot of room for improvement.

“They got faster from [the Longhorn Invitational in] Austin, but it wasn’t quite fast enough,” he said. “They have been improving, but there is still a lot to work on.”

The squad, after competing in three of the past four weeks, will enter two consecutive weeks with no races. The regular-season finale will occur April 30 at the East Coast Races in Ithaca, N.Y.

Kowal said the Hawkeyes will use the time to make further improvements.

“Now, with this time off, we will be able to really hammer in the things we need to hammer in and really make improvements before the next races,” she said.