It was a bittersweet weekend for the Penn women's crew team, as the Quakers fell to Cornell in a tight battle Saturday on the Schuylkill River.
Penn's second-place finish in the varsity race, however, does not reflect the nip-and-tuck finish that almost resulted in a Penn victory.
The margin between the boats was five-tenths of a second. In one blink, a spectator would have missed the finish.
"If we had been in a different part of our stroke, that could've made the difference," junior Emily Davis said.
"That's how close the race really was."
Penn, ranked No. 9 in the EAWRC Coaches Poll, showed its tenacity and steady improvement in its near win over sixth-ranked Cornell in 6:23.7.
The Big Red garnered wins in all five races while Rutgers brought up the rear. The 14th-ranked Scarlet Knights could not break the six-second barrier behind any of Penn's squads.
"Though we expected to beat Rutgers, we still had a great win. It was just unfortunate that we had to lose in such a close race to Cornell," sophomore Susan Francia said.
"This makes us look toward our next race this weekend with even greater ferocity."
Despite the demoralizing defeat, Davis looked at the Quakers' situation optimistically.
"We're glad we had this close race now instead of at Sprints," she said.
"That would be tough to lose like that at the end of the year."
In second varsity competition, Penn finished in 6:33.6 -- just over five seconds behind the Big Red. Rutgers was almost an equal margin behind Penn, crossing the line in 6:39.6.
The varsity four race was a crowded one, with Penn and Cornell both racing two boats, bringing a total of five to the starting line. The Big Red finished first and second, winning with almost 20 seconds between their first boat and that of last place Rutgers. Meanwhile, in third and fourth place were Penn's "A" and "B" boats separated by only 0.8 seconds.
The Quakers' varsity near-win over Cornell shows that they are improving at an increasing rate relative to their competition.
With Cornell triumphing over Syracuse by a significant margin and Penn losing to the Orangemen by an even greater margin last week, it is evident that Penn has been keeping with their mantra of gradual improvement.
"We don't think the rankings will reflect this weekend's outcomes," Davis said.
"But we did put a lot on the line, and even with this outcome, we still consider this race to be a building block... toward Sprints."
The Quakers' enthusiasm for the near-win showed in their attitudes on the outcome of the weekend race.
"It was fantastic," Davis said. "It feels as good as if we had won."
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.
