Occoquan, VA - The Stetson men's rowing team raced in the Atlantic Association of Rowing Colleges (AARC) Invite on Sunday in the varsity eight, finishing in sixth in the grand final.

The AARC Atlantic Springs was a first of its kind event to create competition and foster growth amongst east coast colleges. The event took place at the Sandy Run Regional Park, which is located on the Occoquan Reservoir in Fairfax Station, Virginia.

Stetson raced in the varsity eight on Sunday finishing heat two in third place with a time of 5:56.9 to make the grand final, which would be raced later in the afternoon. The grand final would feature Marietta, Jacksonville, Colgate, Saint Joseph's, FIT and Stetson.

In the grand final, Stetson placed sixth with a time of 6:26.8, which was ten seconds behind fifth place Marietta.

"We are proud to be a part of the founding group of schools for the AARC. It provided an excellent day of racing all around. The guys were able to piece together their best race of the season in the heat to qualify for the grand final. In the final, unfortunately we suffered some equipment breakage in the early stages of the race, which we were unable to overcome. We will return to DeLand this week to begin selection for the IRA National Championship Regatta, where we will be racing in the men's varsity 4+," said Stetson head coach Jamie Francis.  

Up next for the Hatters is the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship, which starts on Friday June 2nd in Mercer, New Jersey.

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS.

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