The temperature was frigid as Penn's heavyweight and lightweight crew teams took to the water last Saturday, but the Quakers did not let a little cold weather affect their performance.
Both of Penn's men's crew teams took second in their respective races in this weekend's Head of the Schuylkill Regatta.
The heavyweight team finished runner-up to a team from the Princeton Training Club in the 25-boat event.
It was a satisfying result for the Red and Blue after a disappointing showing at the Head of the Charles Regatta on Oct. 21.
"I think we accomplished everything we set out to do," Penn senior captain Mike Parker said. "It was a definite step in the right direction."
The Quakers attribute their success to a shuffling in the order of their crew.
"We changed the line-up around and rowed at a higher stroke rate," Penn heavyweight coach Stan Bergman said.
The adjustment created a lot more stability for Penn, according to Parker.
"We could concentrate more on pulling and not worry about setting the boat," he said.
The heavyweight's second and third boats finished 10th and 19th respectively, and the freshman teams were third and 18th in their race.
The Quakers will compete in their final fall race on Nov. 11 in the Frostbite Regatta on the Schuylkill River. This race will differ from other fall races in that it is a 2000-meter sprint race, as opposed to the three-mile races in which Penn has been competing.
"It is a good place to start going into winter training season," Parker said.
The lightweight team also rowed a very strong race at the Head of the Schuylkill.
The lone boat to top the Quakers in the 17-team event was the New York Athletic Club, a crew composed of post-graduates. This club placed second in the Head of the Charles Regatta.
"We were close to them," Penn senior Matt Courtin said. "That means we rowed a good race."
"It was a solid piece," Penn senior coxswain Olivia Kuhn-Lloyd said. "We were aggressive off the line and we maintained a good rhythm throughout the piece."
The other lightweight boats also fared well. The Red and Blue's second boat finished fourth, just behind the other boat from the New York Athletic Club. Both lightweight boats beat teams from Holy Cross, Loyola and Boston College.
Penn's freshman lightweight team competed against both lightweight and heavyweight competition and managed to finish sixth and seventh, respectively, out of 46 teams.
"It felt like the boat was really coming together," Penn freshman Jed Trott said.
The lightweights will join the heavyweights in the Frostbite Regatta.
