Huskies win Burk Cup
May 17, 2003
Charles River (Boston, MA)

Northeastern defeated Penn in the 34th annual Burk Cup on the Charles River Saturday morning. NU's varsity eight rowed the 2000-meter course in 5:44.7, the fastest-ever time on the Charles for a Burk Cup race. The Huskies were about three lengths ahead of Penn, which finished in 5:53.5.

The Charles was choppy thanks to a strong tailwind. Penn jumped out to a quick deck lead at the start, but NU was back even by the settle. The Huskies claimed a deck edge by the 500-meter mark and then had an open-water advantage by the midway point of the race.

In the second varsity race, Penn prevailed 6:03.6 to 6:09.6. The freshman race was the best of the day with the boats battling the length of the course. Penn had a half-boat lead with only 800 meters to go, but the Huskies rallied for the win and nipped the Quakers 6:04.3 to 6:06.3.

With the win, NU's varsity closed the gap in the Burk Cup series and now trails just 19-15.

Results

Varsity
Northeastern 5:44.7, Penn 5:53.5

2nd Varsity
Penn 6:03.6, Northeastern 6:09.6

Freshman
Northeastern 6:04.3, Penn 6:06.3