W. Crew closes fall with mixed results

The Penn women's crew team concluded its fall season this past weekend. On Saturday, the Quakers' varsity eight boat placed fourth in the Head of the Schuylkill Champ Eight race with a time of 15 minutes and four seconds. The Red and Blue novice eight team also placed fourth in their race with a time of 16:09.4. "I am not excited or disappointed with the results of this weekend," said Penn coach Barb Kirch, who was unmoved by her squad's performance, but sure that the Quakers would benefit from the experience. "All the crews rowed their best races." On Sunday, three Penn eights took part in the Princeton Chase with less impressive results. The Penn A boat came in 17th in a 37-boat field with a time of 16:10.00. Penn B and C followed in 34th and 37th position, respectively. The results for Penn this weekend were affected by a number of interferences that caused Quakers boats to slow or even stop on occasion throughout the race. Head races are different from the races the Red and Blue participate in during their spring season. In head races, boats start sequentially, instead of racing side-by-side. "Head races are difficult measures of the amount of success we will have in the spring season," Kirch said. "In the spring there is no interference between boats." The Quakers will now begin to prepare for that important spring season. "We will continue to do the same things we have been doing already," Kirch said. "These things have been working so far." The Penn crew's first varsity boat was largely successful in the fall season, and the Quakers will continue to work on the depth of their team through the frost of the winter months. The Red and Blue anticipate success in the spring season, but they know it will not be an easy road. "It is hard to say how successful we will be in the spring," Kirch said. "The pattern that has been building over the fall is that Yale, Princeton, and Syracuse are very quick teams." Penn has been on pace with a number of good teams over the fall season that were winning championships last year. Kirch's squad will definitely have plenty of time to think about the spring over winter break. In January, the Quakers will travel to Tampa, Fla., for a ten-day intense training camp. The Red and Blue will then return to racing on March 24 when they take on Navy and Georgetown at home on the Schuylkill.

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