Heavyweight Rowing Busy to Start Spring Season

Penn Heavyweight Rowing on Twitter

PHILADELPHIA – Spring has sprung and there is no better time for Penn to launch back into the waters for another season of heavyweight rowing. The Quakers will not simply wade in, rather the Red and Blue will engage in three regattas over the weekend on the Cooper River in Cherry Hill, N.J. Up first is Georgetown on Friday (2 p.m. first race) followed by the Burk Cup with Northeastern ( 9 a.m.) and the McCausland Cup with George Washington (2 p.m.) on Saturday.

Last year, the Quakers were second to both the Hoyas and Huskies, but defeated George Washington to retain the McCausland Cup in a similar opening weekend of races. By the end of the season, however, it was the Quakers who posted the highest finish at IRAs, finishing 11th while Northeastern was 13th and in the third final and George Washington was 16th.

Penn and Northeastern have split the last two Burk Cup races, Penn winning by 1.5 seconds in 2011 and the Huskies taking last year’s meeting. Overall, the Quakers trail in the all-time series, 24-19.

The McCausland is a more recent cup event for the Quakers, contested five times since 2007 between the Quakers and Colonials. Penn has won three of the races, including two in a row.

Penn took three of four races from Georgetown last year, the only loss coming in the varsity eight.

About the Burk Cup
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.

Schedule of Races

Friday vs. Georgetown
2 p.m. – Frosh Eights
2:20 p.m. – 2V Eights
2:40 p.m. – Varsity Eights
3 p.m. – Varsity Fours (Penn vs. Northeastern Race 1 of 3)

Saturday vs. Northeastern (Burk Cup)
9 a.m. – 3V Eights
9:20 a.m. – 2V Eights
9:40 a.m. – Varsity Eights
10 a.m. – 2F Eights
10:10 a.m. – Varsity Fours (Penn vs. Northeastern Race 2 of 3)

Saturday vs. George Washington (McCausland Cup)
2 p.m. – Frosh Eights
2:20 p.m. – 2V Eights
2:40 p.m. – Varsity Eights
3 p.m. – Varsity Fours (Penn vs. Northeastern Race 3 if necessary)

Boatings
Varsity 8
Cox: Lombardi
Stroke: McPeak
Nickens
Jackson
Rush
Holroyd
Senese
Stein
Wallace

2nd Varsity 8
Cox: Kim
Stroke: Alizadeh
McCluskey
Slodden
Frankel
Schimmel
Hennessy
Schade
Kane

Varsity 4
Cox: Muir
Stroke: Brochu
Kaminski
Rigney
Sawey

Freshmen 8
Cox: Mendelson
Stroke: Censits
Davenport
McHale
St. Michael
Matyjek
Brown
Fiori
Buck

2nd Freshmen 8
Cox: Reis
Stroke: Heiden
Endter
Weeks
Mack
Wagener
Cloud
Dziedzic
Gerard