Kirch excited about improved W. Crew

The Penn women's crew team is looking forward to a successful season. Penn women's crew coach Barb Kirch has reason to be excited about the team's upcoming season. Coming off of last year's rookie campaign, she has nearly the entire squad back and primed for competition. The team consists mostly of sophomores and juniors who are now a year older, stronger and wiser. While last year's 3-6 record (1-4 Ivy League) was indicative of a young group working with a new coach, the end of the season showed marked progress. The Quakers' varsity four received one of five at-large bids to the National Collegiate Women's Rowing Championship, where the boat qualified for the championship race. "Right now we're just looking to start the year at a higher level than we did last year," said Kirch, who noted that the team only graduated two seniors from last year. "Our season starts with the Navy Day Regatta, which is a race we expect to win." The fall schedule consists mostly of three mile-long endurance races, as opposed to the 2,000-meter sprints of the spring season. While the October 10th Navy Day race on the Schuylkill is one that Penn won last year, the schedule quickly heats up with the Head of the Charles in Boston the following weekend. Approximately 45 teams compete in the Charles, including some of the most prominent in the country. The prestigious race will offer Kirch a good assessment of how the team is progressing. Kirch commented that while "the Ivy League is still a powerhouse in rowing, several teams have new coaches," which will make the spring season an intriguing league battle. The perennially strong Princeton and Brown teams will offer hurdles for Penn's varsity to overcome, she said. "Our long-term goal is to finish in the finals of the Eastern Sprints," senior Heather Roehrs, who co-captains the team along with classmate Melinda Patterson, said. "We can improve by leaps and bounds [from last year], and after only two weeks of practice, the intensity, motivation and determination are obvious." Another would-be captain, Stephanie Harrington, the team's MVP from last season, is currently abroad. Roehrs also mentioned weight-lifting as a key to making the team stronger and "utilizing what we have in terms of our efficiency. We need every individual to be as strong as possible." The women's crew program appears to be on its way upward, with talented sophomore and junior classes that add much-needed depth and are expected to lead Penn to success in the very near future.