Hwt. Crew aims to build off San Diego

The Penn men's heavyweight crew team opened its season this past weekend on the West Coast. The San Diego Crew Classic marked the beginning of an exciting spring for the Quakers and provided valuable racing experience against teams from across the nation. The first and second varsity boats finished fifth and sixth, respectively. The Red and Blue are looking to use these somewhat mediocre results to improve and build speed as the season progresses. After taking second place in its heat on Saturday, Penn's first boat went on to the grand finals on Sunday to take fifth place overall with a time of 5:57.3. California won the race in a time of 5:44.2. Washington and Harvard rounded out the top three. "This was our first race, and we rowed well technically," senior captain Greg Jenemann said. "We are confident in our abilities because we are a tough team with one of the best coaches in the country." The Quakers are looking to produce greater speed and a higher level of finesse through further racing opportunities. "San Diego provided us with good racing experience together," junior Keith Sutter said. "We have a young boat, but as long as we maintain poise and confidence, we will become faster as a unit." According to sophomore Justin Clemow, the Crew Classic also provided a gauge with which to measure the team's abilities. "All in all, the weekend was good for us because it showed our strengths, our weaknesses and the points we need to work on," Clemow said. "If we can combine the technical precision of our heat with the power of our final, it is apparent that there is a lot of potential for success." Penn's second heavyweight boat placed third in its Saturday heat and advanced to the grand final on Sunday to finish sixth overall with a time of 6:20.9, behind first-place Washington, which posted a time of 5:56.1. "This weekend was a good test of where we stand among the top crews in the nation," sophomore John Fife said. "With less rowers to pool from, we are looking to draw more speed by rowing as a more cohesive boat." The Quakers intend to utilize their practice time to improve their ability to row as a single unit. "We need to work on getting faster every day and make gains at every practice," junior coxswain John Whittaker said. "To row more cohesively, we need to tap into the raw power that each member brings to unleash the potential that we all know exists." With the spring season now underway, the Quakers are looking to build on their performance in San Diego to physically and mentally prepare to race against Princeton in two weeks and Harvard next month.

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