After a winter full of countless practices at the crack of dawn in sub-freezing temperatures, the women's crew team is looking forward to getting back on the water and kicking off the spring season at Yale this weekend.
In New Haven, Conn., the team will face off with Columbia and Ivy League powerhouse Yale at the Connell Cup. Last year the Quakers fell victim to the Elis, who ultimately finished second nationally. Meanwhile, Penn finished the season with a disappointing 13th place finish at Eastern Sprints. But head coach Barb Kirch Grudt thinks this year's team has the potential to be a completely different story.
If last fall is any indication of things to come, Penn can only feel confident about its chances this spring. After winning the Head of the Schuylkill and improving 10 spots from last year's results at the Head of the Charles in Boston, Grudt believes that Penn has the ability to sneak up on Yale Saturday.
"The crews we have are going to go out and race hard," Grudt said. "Yale doesn't expect us to come close but we are going to give them a good run and nobody can ask for anything more."
After this weekend's stiff competition, Penn's schedule will not get any easier during the 2005 season, facing national contenders at every event, including top programs like Princeton, Syracuse and Dartmouth.
In the lead boat there are just five seniors, and the remaining three rowers are all underclassmen -- an unusually young mix. Despite the youthful team, Grudt believes the squad is more than ready to make a splash in this season's rankings.
But after losing five seniors, the new leadership will be vital to the success of the very young team. The Quakers will be led by senior captains Megan Keane, who returns for her second season as the Red and Blue's leader, and Catherine Hunt. Both captains are optimistic about the upcoming season.
"We had a somewhat disappointing finish last year, so we are expecting to improve greatly," Keane said. "We're aiming to finish at the top of our league and qualify for the NCAAs for the first time [in our careers]."
Penn has not been to the NCAA Rowing Championships since 1998.
Even though the team may be young, Grudt points to the incredible work ethic established by the veterans on the team.
"A key difference from past squads is people's willingness to work hard and do more than they thought possible," Grudt said. "If everyone races as hard as possible we can get the results we desire."
Keane noted that the biggest difference from last year to this year is the team's new and rejuvenated spirit.
"The attitude of the team this year is very intense and winning is the expectation," Keane said.
Experience, youth, determination, leadership and a strong work ethic have all coalesced, putting everything is in place for one of the strongest seasons in years.
