2021 Head of the Charles Regatta Recap

The water of the Charles River once again radiated with the sharp calls of the coxswains and glistened with the reflection of the oars with the return of the 56th Head of the Charles Regatta. This world-class competition brought in 2,231 boat entries from 619 different clubs across the globe to compete in 69 different events. Despite being a little over two years since the last time the regatta was held, the restoration of the annual race provided for a busy Harvard Square and thousands of spectators on the banks of the Charles.

All four of Harvard’s crew teams were well represented in the historic regatta throughout the weekend. The Radcliffe Lightweights had three boats in competition, the Radcliffe Heavyweights had five, and both the Harvard Lightweights and Heavyweights had six boats.

Men’s Heavyweight and Lightweight

The Harvard Lights had two boats in the Men’s Club Fours event on Saturday. One boat, led by Lars Caspersen ’24, took an astounding fifth place overall in the event. The five-man team rowed the three-mile course in an impressive time of 17:12.771. The other boat, steered by coxswain Justin Han ’24 and led by Benjamin Roberts ’23, finished in 39th with a time of 19:05.091.

The Harvard Heavyweights also had a boat compete in the same Men’s Club Fours event. Led by coxswain Haley Kwoun ’24 and comprising of rowers Patrick Plunket ’24, Lachlan Roach ’25, Zane Carboni ’23, and Andrew Haimovici ’22, the team of five took first place out of 44 competitors with an impressive time of 16:36.642.

Additionally, on Saturday, the men’s heavyweight crew entered three boats in the Men’s Club Eights Race. The first boat of eight led by Benjamin Zeisberg ’24 finished in second place of 35 boats with a time of 14:29.443. The second boat, navigated by James Patton ’25 and with coxswain Benjamin Ray ’24, took fourth place, finishing in just over nine seconds after their teammates in 14:38.308. The final boat steered by John Weldon ’24 came in 17th place, rowing 15:42.274.

Sunday provided the championship division competition for both teams. The Lightweights entered two boats in the Men’s Lightweight Fours. One boat led by John Marlo ’23 had an impressive row of 16:30.903. The four took second place overall, less than a second behind first-place Penn. The second boat piloted by James Stevenson ’25 finished in tenth place with a time of 17:06.454.

Men’s crew also had two boats into the Lightweight Eights. One boat, led by Harry Schofield ’24 and with coxswain Michael Medaugh ’22, completed the race in 14:45.003, taking eighth place. In a time trial of just about 15 seconds later came their teammates, steered by Owen Niles ’22, finishing in eleventh place overall with a time of 15:05.957.

The Heavyweight team participated in only the Men’s Championship Eights, with two boats. The first boat of eight, led by coxswain captain George Cozens ’22, took fourth place of 20 boats after rowing in 14:07.615. The next team, steered by Matthias Fischer ’22, finished ninth of 20 in 14:27.135.

Men's and women's crew teams from around the world were treated to clear skies and blue waters during Saturday and Sunday's races. Standout Harvard performances include the Radcliffe Lightweight team finishing in third place in the women's Lightweight Eights race. By Owen A. Berger

Women’s Heavyweight and Lightweight

On Saturday, the Radcliffe Heavyweights had one boat place in the Women’s Club Fours and two boats place in the Women’s Club Eights boat.

In the Club Fours, steered by Bridget O’Kelly ’23, the team took fourth place overall with a time of 18:36.936.

For the Club Eights race, one Radcliffe team, led by Monah Javidan-Nejad ’24 finished in an impressive fifth place in a time of 17:02.361. The second boat, just over one minute later, took twenty-sixth place with a time of 18:19.531.

For the Heavyweights, the Sunday championships made way for two boats to take notable placement out of many teams. One team of four led by Bridget Galloway ’25 and with coxswain Sophie Haugen ’23 rowed in 18:54.136, taking sixth place overall in the Women’s Championship Fours.

The other Heavyweight team competed in the Women’s Championship Eights and took 14th place in the race with a time of 16:42.707.

The Radcliffe Lightweights had three boats take placement on Sunday. One crew led by Sophia Campbell ’23 placed sixth overall in the Women’s Lightweight Fours in a time of 20:15.349.

Two Radcliffe Lightweight teams gripped top-five placements in the Women’s Lightweight Eights. One crew directed by Amy Butler ’23 took third place overall with an impressive time of 17:07.238. The other boat came in nearly 24 seconds later at time 17:31.692 to take fifth place.

Up Next

The Princeton Chase Regatta on Lake Carnegie in Princeton, N.J., is next on the docket for Men’s Lightweight rowing. Both the Lightweights and Heavyweights will close out their fall season with the Foot of the Charles Regatta on November 13.

Radcliffe Lightweights will also head down to Lake Carnegie next weekend to compete in the Princeton Chase Regatta. The Lightweights and Heavyweights will also end their fall season at the Foot of the Charles Regatta.

— Staff writer Mairead Baker can be reached at mairead.baker@thecrimson.com.