W. Crew sprints into second

The rankings certainly held to form last weekend at the Schuylkill River. Heading into Saturday's regatta, the Penn women's crew team was ranked 20th in the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Poll. Syracuse was ranked seventh, while Northeastern was nowhere to be found in the poll's top 20. The order of finish played out predictably, as Syracuse captured the victory in the Orange Challenge Cup. The Quakers took second, while Northwestern rounded out the three-team field. In the varsity eight race, the Orangemen's time of 6:26.3 was good enough to put them in first. The Quakers finished second in 6:34.9 and the Huskies brought up the rear with a time of 6:35.9. Saturday's victory was the first time that Syracuse has won the Orange Challenge Cup since 1984. It was also the first time the Huskies have lost the event in six seasons. Northeastern has dominated the Schuylkill River in the past five years, winning all five Orange Challenge Cups. The Red and Blue's varsity eight began the race with a quick start, soon settling into a steady pace. But the Orangemen began the race with an even more impressive start, proving that their No. 7 ranking was no mistake. As the race continued, Northeastern moved past the Quakers by about five seats, threatening, like in the past five seasons, to finish ahead of them. By this time, Syracuse had sped ahead and was no longer close enough to be caught. The Red and Blue had been practicing to execute the final sprint all season. All of this practice would prove valuable in Saturday's regatta. With one last burst in the last 500 feet, the Quakers increased their stroke rating and sprinted past the Huskies to finish second. And although the Quakers did not cross the finish line first, the second place finish was still a positive for them. "I've been on the varsity boat for four years and we've never beaten Northeastern," Penn senior Catherine Eikel said. "So that's huge for us." The Quakers also finished second in the first and second varsity eight races. The Red and Blue will return to action on Saturday when they travel to New Brunswick, N.J. to compete against Rutgers and Cornell for the Class of '89 Plate. Penn won it last year for the first time in nine years.

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