School's out, but the work isn't over.
Penn rowers, the victims of the three-season sport, have extended their stay well into May, competing in several events as well as their league championships, the EARC and EAWRC Sprints.
All three teams - heavyweight and lightweight men and women - have placed in the top ten at their respective championships, with a fourth place and two ninth place finishes.
The Penn women certainly had the most enjoyable trip to Sprints. They racked up 45 points to take fourth place in the Charles G. Willing Team Trophy standings, edging out rival Princeton by a slim three points.
The Quakers brought home one Grand final first-place finish as well as two medals, giving them a total of three first-place finishes in the finals.
The highlight of the women's Sprints in Camden, N.J., was the second Freshman 8 boat, which took home Penn's first Eastern Sprints Championship since 1983. It was a come-from-behind victory as the Quakers edged out Cornell by a second with a time of 7:39.224 in an exciting Grand final.
The Varsity 8 boat took first in their Petite final, finishing eighth out of 18 overall, their best finish in two years.
Wrapping up his first year as women's head coach, Mike Lane was nothing but pleased with his team's progress.
"Sprints was a great performance," Lane said, "but the entire season was the accomplishment. Each weekend we got a little better. Things just worked out and everything came together."
"I think the results were great for us because we just missed out on making the NCAAs, leaving our athletes really hungry for next year," he added. "They're off on their own training, working hard - they're really fired up and ready to put their mark on the league next fall."
But Lane is still unsatisfied.
"I always expect more," he said. "However, I definitely think we exceeded my expectations from where we started in September."
As an extra reward for a highly improved season, the eight Quaker rowers and assistant coach Anne Kakela all garnered Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association awards, including All-Region and CRAC Scholar-Athlete acknowledgements.
After making the long haul up to Worcester, Mass., the Penn heavyweight and lightweight men both brought back home ninth-place finishes.
The Varsity 8 came in third in the Petite final trailing Yale and Columbia with a 5:50.759.
The lightweights will be practicing until their rescheduled regatta at Navy this weekend, followed by the IRA Regatta in Camden, N.J., on May 31.
Heavyweight men's Varsity 8 enjoyed the most success at Sprints, placing fourth in the morning heat at 5:43.739 and coming in third in a close Petite final with a 5:38.419.
The heavyweight team also competed in the Burk Cup on Saturday, meeting a Northeastern team on the Charles River.
Although Northeastern had fallen to Penn by a slim margin at the Sprints the previous weekend, the Huskies were a new team at the Cup, winning the Varsity 8 and second Varsity 8 by formidable times. The Quakers second Varsity 8 boat fell to Northeastern by six seconds on the Charles, sealing their fate.
The heavyweight men have one last chance this coming weekend, as they host the Madeira Cup in Philadelphia. They'll be competing against Cornell.
