Disappointing Sprints Finish Sullies Solid Season

For the Harvard men’s heavyweight crew team, the best is yet to come. Hopefully.

After a tough dual racing season and a disappointing finish at Eastern Sprints, where the varsity eight failed to make the Grand Final for the first time in 44 years, the Crimson looks to end its season on a high note at the IRA National Championships and 143rd Annual Harvard-Yale Regatta.

“As far as IRAs, that’s our greatest concern right now,” captain six-seat Joe Medioli said. “There’s no doubt in our minds that we not only have the ability to final but to medal in the Grand Final. After having suffered the disappointment at Sprints, we’ll definitely be hungrier at IRA’s.”

“Our season is certainly not over and the potential for redemption on the national stage is exciting and the team is enjoying the prospect of success and revenge,” second-varsity bow-seat Breffny Morgan said.

The unexpected letdown at Sprints came after strong dual racing results. Finishing off its season with a 5-1 dual racing record, Harvard posted its only loss in its first cup race of the season against Brown. Though the Crimson displayed greater depth by taking four of the five races against the Bears, the varsity eight’s 5.1-second loss forced Harvard to hand over the Stein Cup to Brown for just the seventh time in the 43-year history of the program.

The next weekend, the varsity eight returned to its winning ways with a thrilling 0.5-second victory over Princeton on the Charles, allowing the Crimson to retain the Compton Cup for the second year running. While the visiting Tigers led from the beginning, Harvard methodically cut into Princeton’s lead through the duration of the course. By the last 600 meters, the Crimson had slashed the Tigers’ six-seat lead to just a two-seat advantage. An early sprint allowed Harvard to overtake its opponent and hold off a late Princeton charge to the finish line.

All of the Crimson boats claimed open water victories against Navy and Penn in the race for the Adams Cup, and Harvard took four of five races against Northeastern the following Saturday. Its only defeat was the freshman four’s loss to the Huskies’ varsity four.

After the heavyweight crews’ success this season, Harvard’s results at Sprints were anything but expected. In a tight preliminary heat, the Crimson finished a close third behind Princeton and Yale, effectively missing the Grand Final for only the second time in coach Harry Parker’s 45-year tenure. Harvard finished second behind Navy in the Petite Final.

“This year, there are a lot of fast teams out there,” Medioli said. “I’m sure we’ve been racing against a tougher field than normal. In my experience, we work very, very hard all the time. I can’t look back on the season and say we should have done that differently.”

Though Harvard was in the lead for almost the entire race, the second varsity eight placed second behind Wisconsin. A strong gust of wind caused an oarsman to catch a crab in the final 200 meters, allowing the Badgers to overtake the Crimson in the last moments of the race.

“After a string of wins in the dual races of each subsequent Saturday, we were firmly on track for achieving the perfect record,” Morgan said. “Being denied this at Eastern Sprints was a bitter pill to swallow, especially since we faltered in the closing seconds of the race.”

Despite the letdown at Eastern Sprints, the Harvard heavyweights’ season has been largely characterized by success and displays of team depth. The second varsity eight had been undefeated until its .2-second loss to Wisconsin at Eastern Sprints, while the third varsity eight, fourth varsity eight and freshmen have yet to suffer a loss.

“What was crucial was that even in Sprints, the guys were really pushed and really working hard,” Medioli said. “Nobody ever showed a lack of determination in any moment. Nobody gave up or didn’t work hard or came out feeling like they didn’t do everything that they could.”

The Crimson will have the chance to avenge its loss at Sprints at IRAs on June 5-7, where it will face many of the same teams it raced at Sprints. The team will also travel to Connecticut to face the Bulldogs in the annual Harvard -Yale regatta, the nation’s oldest intercollegiate sporting event, on June 14. Additionally, the freshman team will journey across the pond to compete for the Temple Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta to be held on July 2-6.

“The biggest races are yet to come,” Morgan said. “The National Championships…will be our largest-scale challenge, where crews across the country will attempt to deny a Harvard comeback.”

—Staff writer Lucy D. Chen can be reached at lucychen@fas.harvard.edu.