PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania heavyweight rowing team gets the spring season underway on Saturday, the Quakers squaring off with Northeastern in races that will take place on the Cooper River in Cherry Hill, N.J.

The Huskies lead the overall series, 31-22, but Penn brought the Burk Cup back to Boathouse Row last year by winning the Varsity Eights race on the Cooper by just a half-second. The win snapped the Huskies' six-race win streak in the competition dating back to 2016.
 
Burk Cup Schedule | Penn Boatings (PDF)
Noon – Fourth and Fifth Varsity Eights
12:20 p.m. – Third Varsity Eight
12:40 p.m. – Second Varsity Eight
1 p.m. – Varsity Eight (Burk Cup)
 
Burk Cup History
The Burk Cup was placed into competition in 1970 by "Friends of Pennsylvania Rowing" to honor Joseph Burk W'34, a member of Penn crew from 1931 to 1934 and coach of the Quakers from 1950 to 1969. The cup is challenged between Penn and Northeastern. While at Penn, Burk was a four-year member of the rowing team and captain of the varsity eight in his senior year. He was a two-time winner of the prestigious Diamond Single Sculls at Henley in 1938 and 1939, the first American to win twice, and was also the singles champion at the American and Canadian National regattas from 1937 to 1939. In 1939, Burk earned the James E. Sullivan Memorial Trophy as the nation's top amateur athlete.

For the latest on Penn men's heavyweight rowing, follow @PennHwtRowing on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, and on the web at PennAthletics.com.