Hwt. Crew to open spring in San Diego

The Penn men's heavyweight crew team will open its season this weekend at the San Diego Crew Classic. The Quakers will compete against 12 other crews, seven of whom are ranked among the top-10 nationally in preseason polls. Penn coach Stan Bergman is pleased with the progress his crew has made thus far. This year, a stronger emphasis has been placed on weight training and strength building. He has also increased his team's focus on heart rate and endurance to build a stronger aerobic base to improve spring speedwork. "We have lost many rowers this season," Bergman said. "The 18 that remain are a hard-core group showing much effort and dedication." One rower Penn has lost is commodore Nick Tripician, an Olympic hopeful who is training just across the Delaware in Princeton. Tripician took first place in the lightweight division at the Crash-B Erg Race held over the summer in Boston, where the competition included some of the world's best. But Tripician will be back next year, after he completes his training and possibly competes in Sydney. "[For now], our squad is small but tough," Penn junior Doug Sieg said. "Despite our losses, our boats are rowing well because we have a strong and committed group of athletes." The Quakers are looking to use their performance in San Diego as a gauge to measure the progress they have made since September. The Quakers have been fortunate to have had a lot of quality time on the water between winter training in Tampa, Fla., and spring break on the Schuylkill. "We are going to San Diego to row hard and focus on our team's racing skills," captain Greg Jenemann said. "We expect to be the fastest crew from the Eastern Sprints League." The Crew Classic will mark the beginning of a tough season of racing that will culminate in the prestigious Eastern Sprints and IRAs. "We are anticipating a technically efficient race and looking to draw our speed from our ability to row well together," sophomore varsity rower Mike Parker said. "Although this weekend will be highly competitive, it's important that we maintain our long-term goals of Eastern Sprints and IRAs and use San Diego as a springboard for success at national competitions." Through a combination of speedwork and endurance, the Quakers are leaving for San Diego well prepared to race hard and see the effects of their extensive winter training. "I personally want everyone to realize that we are going to San Diego to compete, not to eat hamburgers and hang out on the beach," Jenemann said. "There should be a high level of excitement just about racing after the long months of training." The Quakers hope to make those long months of training pay off in San Diego, and they will try to build on their results there when they return to the East Coast in two weeks. The Quakers, who were ranked third in the Ivy League and fifth nationally last year, will row three times before returning to the home waters of the Schuylkill on May 14 against Northeastern.

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