CHERRY HILL, N.J. – The 11th-ranked University of Pennsylvania women's rowing team had another historic weekend at the Ivy League Championship, the Quakers tying their best finish in the Varsity Eights race for the second year in a row and tying for the most overall points in program history at the event (66) in taking fourth place overall.
Penn's Varsity Eight took second behind Princeton in Sunday's final race, matching last year's runner-up finish as the best in program history. The Quakers also won silver medals in the Third Varsity Eight and Third Varsity Four divisions.
"I am very proud of the team," said head coach
Wesley Ng. "To come away with three silver medals speaks to the continued improvement of our program's depth. Full credit to the speed of the Ivy League overall, it was a great day of racing on the Cooper River and I hope the NCAA Championship committee gives consideration to our full body of work this spring."
Overall, Penn scored 66 points on the weekend to finish behind Princeton (82), Brown (75) and Yale (71) but well ahead of Harvard and Columbia which tied for fifth with 38 points each. In the NCAA boats—Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight, Varsity Four—the Quakers scored 35 points to place fourth behind Princeton (44), Yale (39) and Brown (37). The Tigers earn the Ivy League's automatic bid into the NCAA Championships.
Following Sunday's racing, seniors
Amelia Demopoulos and
Alexandra Wiley were announced as first-team All-Ivy selections while senior
Simone Vorperian and juniors
Brooke Caragher and coxswain
Cami Edwards were announced as second-team All-Ivy picks.
Live Results (RegattaTiming.com) | Penn Boatings (PDF)
Varsity Eight
The last race of the day was one of the best as the top three boats were within each other the entire way down the course. Princeton led at each marker and ended up with the victory, while Penn held off first Brown and then Yale to finish second.
#4 Princeton 6:30.520
#7 Penn 6:33.035
#8 Yale 6:34.452
#6 Brown 6:39.157
#17 Columbia 6:46.387
Dartmouth 6:49.889
Second Varsity Eight
Brown, Yale and Princeton quickly established themselves as the top three, so Penn was left to battle Harvard and Columbia for fourth. The Quakers led the Crimson and Lions at each marker, gradually building its lead at every 500 buoy en route to a five-second win over Harvard for fourth place.
#6 Brown 6:40.802
#4 Yale 6:43.831
#5 Princeton 6:47.347
#14 Penn 7:00.912
#17 Harvard 7:05.104
Columbia 7:11.389
Varsity Four
No surprise, the top-ranked Tigers swept their way to the victory over No. 9 Yale and No. 2 Brown. Far behind that trio, Harvard and Penn battled for fourth place, the Crimson making a move in the third 500 to overtake the Quakers and then holding them off in the final 500.
#1 Princeton 7:18.723
#9 Yale 7:22.593
#2 Brown 7:25.161
#16 Harvard 7:49.293
#17 Penn 7:52.500
Columbia 8:00.018
Third Varsity Eight
Arguably the race of the day, the top four boats staying within contact of each the entire 2,000 meters. Brown made a move in the second 500 to take a lead it wouldn't relinquish, and Penn—which led after 500—held off Yale and Princeton for second place to gain silver medals.
Brown 7:00.970
Penn 7:03.360
Yale 7:04.988
Princeton 7:05.170
Dartmouth 7:28.303
Columbia 7:31.855
Cornell 7:50.672
Second Varsity Four
It looked like Penn might be able to hold off Harvard for fourth place, but the Crimson rowed through the Quakers in the final 500 to get the fourth-place points. The Quakers were fifth in a race won easily by Princeton.
#5 Princeton 7:31.660
#1 Yale 7:42.471
#6 Brown 7:46.905
#10 Harvard 7:57.108
Penn 8:01.465
#18 Columbia 8:16.505
Third Varsity Four
Penn led through the 500, 1000 and 1500 buoys but Brown made a huge surge in the final 750 and rowed through both the Quakers and Princeton for the win. The Red and Blue also got challenged by the Tigers through 1500 but a powerful final move allowed Penn to take second by nearly a boat length.
Brown 8:06.197
Penn 8:10.161
Princeton 8:12.852
Harvard 8:28.354
Columbia 8:31.854
Dartmouth 8:52.094
#FightOnPenn