No football team has ever won three-straight Ivy League championships, but juniors Luke Nawrocki, Erik Rask and Greg Van Roten will attempt to lead their squad to the record books next fall.
The program announced the trio as captains Tuesday afternoon after they were chosen by their teammates last week.
“They’re three of the hardest working kids, three of our kids who are the first ones to practice, the last ones out,” coach Al Bagnoli said. “We commend [the players] on who they selected — they were overwhelming choices.”
The three played integral roles for the Quakers last season, in which Penn had both the top-ranked offense and defense in the league. Rask and Van Roten were named first team all-Ivy at linebacker and offensive lineman, respectively, while Nawrocki was an honorable mention tight end.
Bagnoli’s Quakers are the only Ivy team to have claimed the league title in back-to-back undefeated seasons. The 19th-year coach has won consecutive titles three times and once again, the team has a huge target on its back.
Couple a young returning squad with 33 graduating seniors, and “next year’s going to be tougher than ever,” as Nawrocki put it.
While talent is not lacking in the incoming freshman class, which sits at about 30 members, the college football learning curve is still steep. According to Bagnoli, that is where the veteran captains make a difference.
“There are a lot of young kids who’ve got to understand how hard you’ve got to practice, how hard you’ve got to prepare, how much time goes into film study, how much time goes into the weight room.”
Nawrocki, Rask and Van Roten will play a “central role” in fostering that understanding.
Although Van Roten knows there is a lot of work to be done in order for the young team to three-peat, he said, “We can’t be complacent” with two championships.
But for the Red and Blue, complacency will likely not be an issue, as the goal has always been to win rings.
“We don’t want to be remembered as the class or team that didn’t win it,” Rask said.
Van Roten reiterated his new responsibility of keeping the bar high:
“This is our team now.”
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