
Despite many sporting events being postponed or canceled this weekend due to weather, life on the Schuylkill River went on as normal.
Through the wind and the rain, the Penn heavyweight crew team rowed a doubleheader on Saturday, hosting the races for both the Adams Cup in the morning and the Burk Cup in the afternoon.
In the morning event, the No. 15 Penn crew finished last in each of its four races, but to superior opponents. No. 3 Harvard swept all five races en route to its 12th consecutive Adams Cup, and No. 13 Navy finished second to the Crimson all five times. For the Crimson, it was the fourth-straight year they managed to sweep the event. Penn has not won the Adams Cup since 1999.
The Varsity Eight race, the closest of the morning, saw Harvard cross the finish line in 5:31.5, with the Midshipmen finishing four seconds behind. The Quakers finished well back, clocking in at 5:47.1.
The Second Eight proved to be the best race of the morning for the Red and Blue, as they finished 2.2 seconds behind Navy, but 8.9 seconds behind Harvard’s time of 5:36.3.
Coach Greg Myhr could not be reached for comment on his team’s performance.
As tough as the morning was for the Quakers, the team rebounded in the afternoon. Facing No. 20 Northeastern, the heavyweights won three of four races to capture the Burk Cup for the first time since 2001.
In the Varsity Eight race, the Red and Blue held off the Huskies by just 1.5 seconds. With a stronger headwind in the afternoon slowing the pace of the race, Penn crossed the finish line with a time of 6:04.0.
Penn also went on to finish first in the Second Eight, defeating guest Temple, and the Second Frosh. Northeastern’s only victory of the day came in the First Frosh, where it finished 12 seconds ahead of Penn.
Despite Penn’s victory in the Burk Cup, Northeastern still leads the all-time series, 23 to 19. The event has taken place every year since 1970.
The heavyweights now have three weeks off before they take part in the biggest race of their season to date — the Eastern Sprints Championships on May 15 on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass.
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