VILLANOVA, Pa. – The final weekend of April brings a road trip to Raleigh, N.C. for Villanova Rowing as the team heads to the Lake Wheeler Invitational. Action at Lake Wheeler Park is set for Friday and Saturday.

"We are excited for tomorrow to face some ranked opponents and see top end speed," head coach Carissa Adams said. "We are grateful for the opportunity to race at the Lake Wheeler Invite. I am proud of the growth we have seen in our athletes across the entire roster and know they will rise to the challenge tomorrow."
 
This is the second consecutive year that the Wildcats are competing in the event hosted by No. 22 North Carolina and No. 13 Duke. The highly touted event comes with a stacked 20-team field that also includes No. 8 Virginia, No. 14 Miami, No. 15 Alabama and No. 25 Oklahoma. Villanova is the lone CAA team in the field but will see other familiar opponents such as Lehigh, Georgetown, Old Dominion, West Virginia and Boston College who they have raced against so far this season, including just two weeks ago at the Knecht Cup.
 
Last year's trip to Raleigh was marked by growth and progress for the team as a whole. One of the top performances came from the V8 boat that closed the gap on then-No. 18 Duke from 17 to 15 seconds from the first to third rounds.
 
Villanova will send four boats on the water in each of the three racing sessions. Friday comes with two rounds of action in the morning and afternoon with the final round happening on Saturday morning. Fans can streak this year's event on ESPN+ over both days of competition with live results appearing on Regatta Central.