Penn Women’s Rowing Team Shines at NCAA Championships Despite Weather Delays
West Windsor, N.J. – The University of Pennsylvania’s women’s rowing team faced challenging weather conditions that delayed racing by nine hours, yet demonstrated remarkable poise at the NCAA Championships on Saturday. Competing on Mercer Lake, all three of Penn’s boats secured positions in Sunday’s Third Finals, with opportunities to improve their pre-championships seeding of 15th in their respective categories.
In Saturday’s semifinals, the Varsity Eight won its C/D semifinal, while both the Second Varsity Eight and Varsity Four placed second. "We raced exceptionally well today," said first-year head coach Bill Manning. "Each crew showed great teamwork and composure, advancing against boats we had previously defeated and those that had beaten us earlier this season."
In the Varsity Eight event, Penn advanced after taking charge midway through the race, overtaking Dartmouth and Syracuse. The crew crossed the finish line with a time of 6:17.229. The Second Varsity Eight maintained a strong lead to secure second place, trailing UCF by just over two seconds.
The Varsity Four, after a false start, quickly regrouped and finished second after overtaking Dartmouth, clocking in at 7:13.633. This performance positioned the Quakers favorably for the upcoming finals.
Sunday’s racing schedule features the Varsity Four at 7:20 a.m., followed by the Second Varsity Eight at 7:36 a.m., and the Varsity Eight at 7:52 a.m. Each boat has the chance to enhance its rankings in a field of 22 crews.
For real-time updates, fans can follow @PennWomensRowing on Instagram and visit PennAthletics.com.
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