The Penn heavyweight crew team finished 32nd out of 42 boats this weekend at the Fall's premier rowing event, the Head of the Charles Regatta.
The prestigious Boston regatta gathered the world's top rowing programs for a weekend of tense competition. Returning to the event this fall was the U.S. National Team, the crew that has headed the Charles for the last seven years.
Coming off a disappointing performance a week prior at the Navy Day Regatta, the Quakers saw the international event as an opportunity to show the rowing community that they are going to be a tough boat to stay with come spring time.
However, coach Stan Bergman watched this weekend as his team again failed to realize its potential.
The top of the leaderboard held few surprises this year in the men's championship eight boat race. U.S. Rowing picked up its eighth straight title, finishing the three mile course in a swift 14:53.28.
Collegiate power house Wisconsin finished a close second at 15:00.21. Ivy League rival Harvard rounded out the top five with a solid time of 15:04.60.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the regattas major race was Penn's frustrating finish.
Beat out by four of the other five Ivy League boats entered in the event, the Quakers lack luster time of 15.57.38 proved not enough to earn the team their self-projected top-10 finish.
Penn's disappointing major race finish was again offset by their strong performances elsewhere.
The second boat Bergman took to Massachusetts this weekend managed to medal in their race.
Competing against over 50 other boats, freshman Nick Munch, a Portland, Ore., native, stroked Penn's freshman boat to an astonishing fifth place finish on Saturday.
Although a great accomplishment for the Red and Blue, the freshman boat victory was routine for Munch. Having finished third in the same event a year prior with his Oregon Club, Munch and his fellow freshman oarsmen represent an extremely talented group of newcomers.
The Red and Blue will return home this week and regroup. With Head of the Schuylkull looming this weekend, Penn will look to rebound in their third consecutive weekend regatta.
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