The Iowa rowing team qualified three crews for the Grand Final of the Big East Invitational against No. 15 Notre Dame, Louisville, Rutgers, Syracuse, and West Virginia in Indianapolis on April 28.

The Hawkeyes sent their Varsity 8 and second Varsity 8 boats into the final round, after both crews posted second-place finishes in their respective heats. Iowa’s Varsity 4 team crossed the finish line in second place in its morning heat following a weather delay to also move into the last round.

Iowa claimed a pair of third-place finishes and a fourth-place showing in the Grand Finals.

The Varsity 8 and second Varsity 8 squads both recorded third-place times, with the Varsity 8 boat scoring the best run of the day for Iowa. The boat notched a time of 6:47.6 minutes, just under six seconds behind first-place Notre Dame.

The Varsity 4 group trailed throughout its final, ending up with a fourth-place finish and a time of 8:06.3 minutes — more than 21 seconds off the pace.

The Black and Gold now have two weeks off to prepare for the Big Ten championships in Indianapolis on May 13.

— by Tom Clos