Penn rowing looks for strong start to the year in Navy Day Regatta

This weekend, Penn rowing is looking for a cruising start to the non-traditional season.

On Saturday, the Schuylkill River will play host to the annual Navy Day Regatta, a series of races honoring the U.S. Navy that start out the new college rowing year. Penn’s men’s heavyweight, men’s lightweight and women’s crews will join the likes of Navy, La Salle and Rutgers in a series of head races.

The Navy Day Regatta will be the first for the fall season, also known as the non-traditional or head race season, a season for rowers to train for the spring, the traditional season.

“It’s the first race of the fall, and the first race of the year, so that’s one thing that makes it really exciting,” said Collin Farrell, the new head coach for the lightweight crew.

The Navy Day Regatta provides a first test on the long way to the much-prioritized spring season, and in the shorter term also for the upcoming Head of the Charles and Princeton Chase races later in October.

“This is going to give us a decent idea of where we are right now,” Greg Myhr, head coach for the heavyweights, said. “No matter how we do — win, lose or draw — we’re going to have a lot of work to do to be competitive next spring.”

Myhr is optimistic about the heavyweights’ chances this year.

“I think we’re a step up from where we’ve been in years past, and we’re deeper,” he said, emphasizing how the rowers’ skill level has grown more even recently. “That’s a very good thing when it’s not necessarily clear who your top guys are on any given day.”

Mike Lane, head coach of women’s rowing, described how this is a practice opportunity for the upcoming Princeton Chase races. “Our priority in the fall is always the Princeton Chase—that’s the race we’re sort building to through the fall.”

Despite this, Lane is not shy about his expectations for Saturday.

“Our expectation is that we are going to go out there and win the race,” he said.

Farrell and Myhr also emphasized that while this event is not the most important of the fall season, it is important that the rowers go for the win.

“I think it’s always important that you do well when you race and put on the Penn colors,” Myhr said.

Last year, Penn’s heavyweight crew prevailed over Navy in a tight race.

“We were lucky to beat Navy last year. It was the first time we won this race in quite a while,” he added.

The regatta will also give a chance for the new recruits to test themselves against other schools.

“Their energy is great and their work ethic is outstanding,” Lane said. “Our freshmen have been outstanding.”

That energy will be on display on Saturday.

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