The Penn women's crew team proved on Saturday that Navy is not the only institution to master the ways of the water. The Penn varsity eight team rowed past Navy and Georgetown in its first race of the spring season. The win on the Schuylkill River marks the 10th consecutive season that the Red and Blue have come away with the coveted Class of '91 Plate, which is awarded to the squad that comes out on top in the varsity eight Penn-Navy-Georgetown race. "It's important that we start the season off with a win because it builds momentum," Penn varsity rower and captain Rachel Pringle said. "It's also a good thing to continue the tradition of having our name on the plate." The winning time for the Quakers was 6:42.2. Navy secured second place with a time of 6:56.9, while Georgetown finished third at 7:08.6. Penn senior coxswain Catherine Eikel attributed the varsity eight's success to going into the race calm and collected. "From the moment we got on the water, we had a solid warmup that got us relaxed and then we nailed it," Eikel said. Penn's second varsity rowers earned second place with a time of 7:29.0. The Quakers were defeated by the Midshipmen, while the Hoyas lagged behind in this event, as well, to finish third. The Quakers' varsity four squad finished sandwiched in between the Navy "A" and "B" teams with a time of 8:15.2. While Penn's varsity rowers were responsible for holding on to the Class of '91 Plate, the Quakers first novice squad demonstrated the promise that the Red and Blue should offer in upcoming years. The first novice team prevailed with a time of 7:16.6, followed by Navy and Georgetown, respectively. Penn's second novice squad was not as successful, as the Quakers fell into last place with a time of 7:37.0. Navy won this event, and Georgetown took second place. The Quakers are satisfied with their refusal to relinquish the Class of '91 Plate but realize that they cannot let complacency get the best of them. Penn rows against perennial Ivy League powerhouse Yale this Saturday on the Schuylkill. "We have to get ready for Yale since they're a strong team," Pringle said. "We have to be more on the offensive this weekend. We have to row strong and be dynamic. We have to be ready to fight it out."
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