The men's heavyweight and women's crew teams get set to push off this weekend in their respective Sprints races.
For the heavies, the race marks the beginning of the final leg of a disappointing seasons. For the 20th-ranked women, though, the Sprints is just another step towards national recognition.
Weekend in Worcester
The heavyweights are heading up to Worcester, Mass., for Sunday's Sprints.
It's been a tough season for them. In their last two meets, the Adams Cup and the Burk Cup, they finished last. In fact, the team hasn't finished better than last since its opening race of the spring season, the San Diego Crew Classic.
But the Sprints are a major race, and a good showing there just may help to erase the bad taste the season has left in the mouths of the Quakers.
Women travel to Camden
The women have had an excellent spring season thus far. Rowing against some of the top competition in the nation, they've had a pair of wins and three second-place finishes in their five races.
However, last weekend's 1984 Award Plaque race in Hanover, N.H., against Princeton and Dartmouth saw the Quakers finish in third - their worst performance of the year.
Despite that, Penn has maintained a top-20 ranking, making this year a milestone one for the program.
What's left to see this weekend is whether the Red and Blue can return to their form from earlier in the year and earn a trip to the NCAA Championships in Sacramento, Calif.
