The Penn men's heavyweight crew team concluded a mixed fall season this past weekend with a frustrating finish at the 2002 Belly of the Carnegie Regatta in Princeton, N.J. for the freshman boats.
The Penn Quakers finished 12th out of 21 teams and combined with the lightweights and women to place 6th overall on the weekend.
After strong performances in virtually every other competition this season, the rookies' inconsistent finish typifies the nature of the entire program's fall campaign.
"This past weekend was a little frustrating for us," Penn freshman coach Seth Brennan said. "But the whole heavyweight program has been up and down this fall."
The heavyweight crew team experienced a roller coaster fall season.
The Red and Blue opened their season at the Navy Day Regatta in Philadelphia on Oct. 12.
Despite defeating nemesis Dowling, the Quaker's first formal outing can be generously characterized as a mixed showing, as they placed a mediocre 6th in a 15-team race.
The Quakers then traveled to Boston, Mass. on Oct. 20, to compete in the Head of the Charles.
Penn finished 32nd out of 42 boats at the Fall's most prestigious rowing event. Beat out by four of the other five Ivy League boats entered in the event, the Quakers' lackluster time of 15.57.38 fell short of earning the team's self-projected top-10 finish.
The Penn freshmen added levity to the situation at the Head of the Charles as they finished an inspiring 5th in a race of over 50 boats.
Penn hosted the annual Head of the Schuylkill on Oct. 26.
The heavyweight team completed the three-mile race in 12:48.68, a time that put them just behind runner-up Navy and first place finisher UTS Rowing Club (Sydney, Australia), who finished at 12:37.76. The Penn freshmen team finished a solid 3rd.
Head coach Stan Bergman points out that the fall's main function is to provide a break from the monotony of training.
"The fall is always about having fun," he said.
The Red and Blue's fun will end when the Quakers' spring season begins after the Ivy League's newly-mandated 7-week rest period.
The Quakers will pick up their oars again in January and begin final preparation for the demanding spring season.
"We have a lot of work to do," Bergman said.
The Quakers will return to Princeton, N.J., in April to open their spring campaign. The Childs Cup will be Penn's first chance to steady the ship after a bumpy fall season.
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