More on Penn Crew

It's no secret that Penn Crew has an illustrious history and a huge alumni presence, despite the program's recent struggles. While interviewing seniors Piero Russo and Nick Barnes for my article about the Ted Nash challenge, I asked them about the contributions of alumni and others involved with the program.

"The alumni support system for us is unbelievable," Barnes said. "Whenever we need something -- and we have needed things in the past -- they're always here for us."

Alumni can often be seen watching Penn's races, and many of them come back each year for Class Day in March and race against the current team members just for fun.

"I think Crew is such a team sport where you bond together that you don't just walk away from it and never talk to those kids again," Russo said. "You're waking up at 6:00 in the morning every day, you don't go out, these are your only true friends you really have, save a couple more.

From my experience, DP crew articles receive some of the most online comments from fans and alumni, rivaled only by football and basketball.

"How much they comment on the articles on the DP is just a testament to how much they care about the success of Penn Crew," Barnes added.