Hwt. and Lwt. frosh crews head to Belly

The Penn varsity heavyweight and lightweight crew's fall season is finished but the freshman crews will compete for the final time this fall when they visit Lake Carnegie on Sunday. The Quakers will be rowing in the Belly of the Carnegie, hosted by Princeton. The 2 3/4-mile race is held exclusively for novice rowers. The Belly affords the freshmen one final fall racing experience to better prepare for the spring season. This is especially important because about half the team is composed of rowers with no previous experience. "There haven't been problems blending in the guys with no experience," said Jon Rosen, a member of the freshman team and a Daily Pennsylvanian staff member. "The guys without experience have learned quickly from the guys that have rowed before." Heavyweight freshman coach Larry Connell expects his crew to row hard and row well in a race that attracts some of the top freshman programs in the East. "We are the returning champions of the Belly but the Princeton crew is favored," Connell said. The freshman heavyweights have had a solid fall season, finishing second at Navy Day, seventh in a 42-team field at the Head of the Charles and second at the Head of the Schuylkill. However, they have finished behind Princeton in all three of these races. This weekend will be the first time this season that the team is divided into two even boats, rather than a first and second eight, which will equally distribute the crew's talents and abilities. "The depth of our team will be tested," Rosen said. "I'm not sure how we're going to do." Although the Belly is the crew's final competition, spring training will continue throughout the winter months. The team will undergo much conditioning through ergometer tests and weight training to fine tune their technique for the spring sprint season. "We have a lot of talent," freshman Matt Corcoran said. "Lots of big guys who pull good ergs. We just need some fine-tuning." The freshman lightweights will also compete this weekend. Unlike the heavyweights, they will row a first and second boat, rather than two even eights. "The team is looking very solid all together," said lightweight varsity rower Brian Conley, who frequently helps out with the freshmen. "There is good commitment among the rowers." The lightweights expect a strong performance at the Belly after finishing second at Navy Day and fifth at the Head of the Schuylkill, where their times were only a few seconds behind the heavyweight boat. "We have a really good group of guys," freshman rower Nat Garnick said. "We have the potential to do really well, it just depends on how much we want it." Penn's novice women will also be competing, and the three squads will have an opportunity to work together as the Belly Bowl trophy will be awarded to the school with the combined best times in all three events.

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