On Saturday, March 22, the Notre Dame men’s rowing team traveled to Lake Harsha in Bethel, Ohio for its first race of the season, a dual against the University of Minnesota. Race conditions were largely ideal, as the majority of the course was sheltered from the wind. Only in the final 500 meters was the wind a factor, and this proved to be instrumental in several races. The Novice 8+ kicked off the action with a resounding victory; their thirteen second margin of victory was good for several boat lengths of open water. Next, the Notre Dame JV8+ raced the Minnesota JV8+ and 3V8+. It was an extremely tight contest with several lead changes. The Notre Dame crew pulled ahead in the final 250m and held on for a victory by only half a second. The Varsity 8+ race was not as close, and the Notre Dame 8+ rowed to victory with a margin of eight seconds over the Minnesota boat. In the Novice 4+ event, the Irish boat fell to Minnesota in a hard fought battle. Finishing the day, the Varsity 4+ fought through strong winds and considerable chop on their way to a five second victory over their Minnesota counterpart. With wins in four of the five events, the Irish rowers set a strong precedent for the rest of the season, and they will face their next test this upcoming weekend against Grand Valley State University.