On Sunday afternoon, Boston was invaded by students from all over the country.
The Penn lightweight crew team joined the madness this weekend, that was the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta, held on Boston's Charles River.
Penn's time of 14:56 was good enough to notch seventh place in a field of 24 boats, which included Ivy League rivals Princeton and Yale.
While the Quakers were not able to overcome these two squads, which respectively placed second and fourth, they did not finish far behind. Penn finished less than 10 seconds out of second place and four behind Princeton.
Competing without captain Justin Arena, the Quakers had to pick up the extra slack.
"I'm not sure when I'm going to come back," said Arena, who injured his ribs during summer rowing. "I'm taking it day by day, week by week."
Over the next week, the rest of the Penn crew team will be practicing hard in preparation for its next race, which takes place on the Quakers' home waters on Oct. 25.
The Head of the Schuylkill Regatta will take place on Saturday on the Schuylkill River,where the Quakers will square off against local schools such as the University of Delaware -- rather than any Ivy opponents.
Approximately 2.5 miles long, the course up the river usually proves to be challenging for the Red and Blue and their local competitors.
Despite having only a week to rest in between events, the Quakers hope to overcome a key injury to its captain and build on Sunday's performance in a slightly tamer environment.
-- Eric Borowsky
