The Harvard men’s lightweight rowing team advanced all three of its boats to their respective finals at the IRA National Championship Regatta on Lake Natoma, according to a May 29 update. The varsity eight secured a win in its heat, continuing the team’s defense of its national title.
The day began with the junior varsity boat competing in the second heat against Princeton, Dartmouth, and Columbia. Princeton led throughout the race, but Harvard closed a 1.1-second gap at the 1500-meter mark to finish just .45 seconds behind with a time of 5:53.840. This result earned Harvard’s junior varsity crew a place in Sunday’s A Final scheduled for 1:12 p.m. Eastern Time.
The defending-champion varsity eight, stroked by captain Ben Lundie, won its heat from start to finish despite pressure from Penn. The crew finished in 5:44.610—nearly six seconds ahead—and advanced to Sunday’s A Final at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time.
In addition, Harvard’s varsity four progressed through both a morning time trial and an evening semifinal on Thursday. The boat placed second behind Penn with a time of 6:32.830 and will compete in Saturday’s A Final at 2:12 p.m.
Race times are subject to change, and all are listed as Eastern Time.
