For Penn rowing, two will certainly be better than one.
This weekend, the Quakers will participate in not one, but two regattas. The Head of Schuylkill regatta will take place on Saturday and then the team will head to New Jersey for the Princeton Chase on Sunday.
The Quakers are coming off of a big week where the men’s lightweight squad took first place during the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta for the first time in 47 years. The Quakers won the lightweight eight in 1966 and had never before won the lightweight four event until this past Sunday.
The Red and Blue were aggressive for the entire 4,600 meters, and with severe headwinds against them, Penn managed to keep calm and pull out the win. The team of Sam Shaw, Roman Schuster, Parker Lange, Jacques David and Alex Weinrich got off to a hot start, and they capped off their event with a strong finish which stopped the clock at 17:33.142, topping second-place Yale by a whole two seconds.
Only one of the other 15 crews were within 20 seconds and more than half of the field finished more than 30 seconds off of Penn’s pace.
“In the practices leading up to the race we knew that we had posted some really good pieces, we were moving the boat really well,” Shaw said. “Looking at the lineups we knew we could post a good time. The win was a combination of us staying aggressive and maintaining the speed we knew we were able to reach over the 4,600 meters as well as taking the right course.”
This weekend Penn will be rowing in much shorter races at the Head of Schuylkill and Princeton Chase, which often means less of a margin for error.
With these being the last two regattas of their fall season before they come back in the spring, the Quakers will be putting everything they’ve trained for thus far to the test to see where they stack up against the top of the Ivy League.
They will face Harvard — who won the national championship last year — and Princeton, who beat Harvard at the Head of the Charles this past weekend.
“From the beginning of the season, we talk about each regatta being more important than the last — [the Princeton Chase] is what we’ve been preparing for our entire fall,” coach Nick Baker said.
“I don’t know if we’re ready to talk about beating Harvard and Princeton, but I hope we can make a significant jump from where we were last year and that we can be competitive with those top crews so we can set ourselves up to compete with them at the highest level this spring.”
The Quakers will be looking to end this fall season on a high note so it can be prepared for winter training and the team’s spring schedule.
SEE ALSO
‘Jog for Jill’ brings Penn rowing teams together
Wayward boat sinks Penn heavyweight rowing’s chances
Penn lightweight rowing to open Ivy competition this weekend
Brief | A mixed bag for Penn rowing
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.