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Senior Rachel Pringle and sophomore Sarah-Jane Irwin, who both played a big part in leading the Quakers to a No. 17 ranking this season, were named regional All-Americans by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association. [Michael Krathen/SP File Photo]

They may not have gotten a chance to participate in the National Championships, but Penn women's crew team members Rachel Pringle and Sarah-Jane Irwin still got some national attention.

Both Pringle and Irwin were named first team Mid-Atlantic regional All-Americans by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association.

"The Mid-Atlantic region in which they were selected was the most competitive region this year," Penn coach Barb Kirch said. "So the fact that two athletes out of our program were selected is terrific."

Pringle expressed a similar sentiment concerning her selection.

"I was really excited to learn that I had made it," Pringle said. "I am honored to be part of that group."

The selections were based on a variety of factors. Each nominee had to have raced in the varsity eight boat at least 75 percent of the boat's total races during the first two months of the season.

The team's strength of schedule, the athlete's nomination rank according to the coach, the coach's comments and the athlete's 2000 meter ergometer score were also deciding measures.

This was Irwin's first selection, while Pringle concluded her collegiate rowing career with two All-American accolades.

"I attribute our success to the rest of my teammates," Pringle said. "A successful program takes individuals that are committed to the same goal and who are willing to do what it takes to attain a certain level of competitiveness.

"My teammates are those types of individuals and the Penn women's crew team is getting better and better due to these athletes."

Pringle also pointed to her coach as an integral part of the team's success.

"Our coach Barb Kirch is also responsible for our improvements over the last four years," Pringle said. "She has a lot of knowledge and insight into the sport of rowing and she is always encouraging."

And now that Pringle is a Penn alumna, she looks to Irwin as one of the key members in the team's future.

"She is the type of athlete that will bring Penn women's crew to the next level we need to be at," Pringle said of her younger teammate.

Both athletes played a significant role in helping the Quakers post back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in nearly 20 years.

Penn received two out of the 13 total first team Mid-Atlantic regional All-America honors awarded by the CRCA.

11 Ivy League rowers were named first team regional All-Americans. Brown led the way with four selections from the New England region.

Irwin, a biology major, was also one of 17 rowers from the Mid-Atlantic region selected as a CRCA National Rowing Scholar-Athlete.

The Quakers finished their 2001 campaign at the Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges Sprints, where they placed ninth overall.

Penn ended its season ranked 17th in the NCAA Division I Varsity Eight Coaches Poll, the program's highest ranking in 2001.

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