The Stetson women's rowing team will have an opportunity to test itself against some of the best crews in the nation this weekend when the Hatters compete in the Lake Wheeler Invitational, which is being co-hosted by Duke University and the University of North Carolina in Raleigh.

Stetson boats will complete against Clemson, Boston College, UCF, Miami and Wisconsin in addition to the event co-hosts. 

Friday will feature two sets of races, beginning at 12 p.m. The opening set features two heats in the V8, 2V8, V4 and 2V4, and one heat in the 3V8. Those races will conclude at 2:15 p.m., leading into a break from the water. The winner of each heat advances to Saturday's A Final, while the rest of the participants will line up for the late afternoon repechage set, kicked off at 4 p.m. by the 2V4's lone heat.

The 2V4 will be followed by the V4, 2V8 and V8 competing in two heats each to wrap up Friday's action.

The 3V8 A Final gets Saturday's day of racing started at 9:30 a.m. The 2V4, V4, 2V8 and V8 finals will follow, respectively, with each beginning in the B Final.

Duke comes into the event ranked 13th in the nation. The Tar Heels were at Clemson last weekend for a meet against Clemson and Oklahoma. UNC finished third with 65 team points, and placed second in three races. Clemson claimed the meet with 81 team points and finished first in each of the six races. The Tigers have also appeared in four competitions this season, with another strong performance coming at the seven-team Sunshine State Invitational, where they won both 2V8 races in the multi-day event.

Boston College is coming off a successful showing on the Charles River on Sunday, April 18, completing a three-race sweep over UConn and Holy Cross. The Eagles have competed in three meets, with their First Varsity Eight boat taking first place in each of its five appearances.

Miami also competed at the Sunshine State Invitational, placing in the top three in six out of 10 races throughout the weekend. The Hurricanes last raced against UCF in Orlando, defeating the Knights in the 2V8 with a time of 6:46.87. UCF came away with eight victories at the Sunshine State Invitational, including two from its V8 boat and two from its V4 squad. The Knights are currently receiving votes in the Pocock/CRCA Poll.

The Wisconsin Lightweight team has competed at one meet this season – the Cardinal Invitational in Oak Ridge, Tenn. – where the Badgers picked up a win over Notre Dame and Alabama's 3V8 crews, while finishing second in both of its V4 races.

The Hatters make their way to Raleigh with several notable performances in four meets this season. Stetson earned victories in the Varsity Four and Novice Eight races at the Florida Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships and also defeated Miami and Jacksonville in the V8, while finishing second in the 3V8, on the Hatters' home waters of Lake Beresford.