Much-improved W. Crew excited for the new season

After opening with a win over Yale, coach Barb Kirch's Quakers squad is ready to make waves nationally. After finishing the 1998 season with an overall record of 3-6 and an Ivy League mark of 1-4, the Penn women's crew team is convinced that improved team dynamics and excellent coaching will make them a much better team this season. Last weekend the Quakers opened their season by beating Navy, Columbia and Yale on the Schuylkill River. This was an especially impressive feat considering it marked the third time Penn has beaten the Elis in 21 years. "It was a great beginning to the season," second-year Penn coach Barb Kirch said. "It was especially exciting because Navy is stronger than last year. It shows that we're doing a good job." Their victories were hard-earned. Over spring break, team members stayed on campus and practiced twice a day on the cold and windy Schuylkill. Their rigorous schedule currently includes practice at 6:45 a.m. on Monday and Tuesday, weight lifting on Tuesday and Thursday and more rowing on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. "All teams do it," senior Lauri Kauffman said of their intense training. "It's something we have to do." The Quakers recognize the role that second-year coach Kirch has played in their development. A two-time Olympian and a 1984 Penn grad, Kirch returned to her alma mater last season after nine years coaching at Dartmouth. Under Kirch, the Big Green finished fourth in overall team points at the '97 Eastern Sprints to earn a bid to the first NCAA Women's Rowing National Championship. "She's brought our program up to being very competitive with other Sprint schools," co-captain Melinda Patterson said. Co-captain Heather Roehrs believes Kirch has sparked team unity. "[In rowing] there's a certain determination and a passion that are infused into one," Roehrs said. "This year the two are infused into one. She's bringing the team together, which makes a team successful." A strong recruiting class should also contribute to Penn's success. The top recruit is freshman Kate Magee, who is rowing in the first varsity eight. Several of the athletes in the second varsity boat have already spent time in the first varsity boat this season as well. The second varsity boat looked impressive last weekend, finishing only one second behind Yale's first varsity in a separate race. "People have been saying that we have a completely different team than last year," Kirch said. "We've been training hard and feeling our success and when you feel success it builds your confidence." The novice teams, which are made up of all freshmen, also have high hopes for the upcoming season. Last weekend Penn's first novice team raced two Navy boats and came in second, while Penn's second novice crew beat its Navy counterparts. "We didn't do as well as we planned," first novice rower Victoria Kilner said. "But it's the first race of the season and we're going to improve. We're going to make our mark this year." Yesterday morning, the varsity eight flew to San Diego for this weekend's San Diego Crew Classic. Twelve schools, including the University of Washington, University of Michigan, Princeton and Yale, will be in the competition. Tomorrow, two heats of six boats each will race. The top three boats from each heat will advance to the grand final and the bottom three boats will compete in the petite final. Both finals will be held on Sunday. The Quakers hope to improve on last year's performance, when they came in 12th out of 12 teams. "It's a notoriously unfair course," Kirch said. "Historically we're in a disadvantaged lane." The six lanes are seeded with the best crew starting in lane one. Penn will be in lane six. Lanes one and two are known to get an extra push from currents and are sheltered from wind by the shore, while lanes five and six are known to be windy. "People we're racing against think we're terrible," Kirch said. "We had a really hard weekend last year," junior Rachel Jolley said. "[Lane placement] plays a factor but it's not an excuse. This year should be an improvement." Penn's varsity eight finished 15th at last year's Eastern Sprints while its second varsity eight finished in ninth. Following the Eastern Sprints, the Quakers then received an at-large bid to send their top four rowers to compete at NCAAs. Penn entered this season ranked No. 15 in USRowing's Collegiate Coaches Poll. While the varsity boat is in California this weekend, the rest of the Quakers will be at Yale racing against the Elis and Columbia for a points trophy. Because Penn's varsity eight beat Yale and Columbia last weekend, the Quakers are currently holding the trophy. If Penn can get a win from either its first novice or second varsity boats -- which both only raced Navy last weekend -- Penn will hold onto the trophy. Last weekend gave the Quakers confidence that they hope to maintain throughout the season. The team believes its unity is the key to its performance. "We have an amazing trust of one another. It has been unmatched by every single person in the boat," senior Lauri Kauffman said. "We're really looking forward to having this season together."