CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – No. 15 Harvard-Radcliffe heavyweight crew heads Lake Hartwell for the Clemson Invitational this weekend to race against some of the nation's top squads. The Black and White will face off against 21 teams, starting at 8 a.m. Saturday morning.
Race Schedule
8:07 a.m. – varsity eight (both days)
8:31 a.m. – second varsity (both days)
8:55 a.m. – varsity four (both days)
9:36 a.m. – third varsity (both days)
5:30 p.m. – third varsity (Sat.)
6:35 p.m. – second varsity (Sat.)
6:59 p.m. – varsity eight (Sat.)
Last Time Out
Radcliffe was edged in a close race on Lake Carnegie last Saturday morning. Conditions were good early in the morning, but the winds increased to a 15 mph cross headwind with strong gusts. No. 4 Virginia won the event, overlapping with No. 8 Princeton and followed close behind by the Black and White.
O'Leary Cup
The Black and White will compete against Dartmouth and Syracuse at the Clemson Invite in search of the O'Leary Cup. Dating back to 2000, Radcliffe has won nine of 14 O'Leary Cups, including two-straight in 2012 and 2013.
Scouting the Field
Among the teams competing are No. 1 Ohio State, No. 4 Virginia, No. 10 Washington State, No. 12 Indiana, No. 14 Texas, No. 16 UCLA, No. 18 Oregon State and No. 20 Minnesota. A year ago, the Radcliffe second varsity bested the field by a half-length.
In the Polls
Radcliffe opened the season tied for No. 12 in the NCAA rankings and currently sits at No. 15. Ohio State remains in the top spot with 22 first place votes, followed by California, Brown, Virginia and Washington.
In the Launch
In her 29th season of guiding the Harvard-Radcliffe heavyweight crews in 2014-15, head coach Liz O'Leary owns a 194-98 career dual record with 15 appearances in the NCAA Championship, including the 2003 title and a 2005 bronze medal finish.
Last Season
For the fourth-straight year and 16th time in the 18-year history of the event, Radcliffe earned a bid to the NCAA Championships. The Black and White finished 13th overall after improving their spot at the Ivy League Championships to place third two weeks earlier.
Up Next
The Black and White will host its lone home event next weekend, welcoming Yale for the Case Cup.
