CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Harvard men's lightweight rowing team extended its undefeated season in both the First and Second Varsity Eights with decisive victories over MIT and Navy on Saturday, April 19, on the Charles River. Racing over a 2000-meter course in challenging conditions — including a 12 mph cross headwind that intensified for the final race — Harvard showcased depth and dominance across the board.
Varsity Eight (1V)
Lineup: Coxswain
Anya Cheng,
Ben Lundie,
Brahm Erdmann,
Charles Rahdon,
Andrew Buda,
Preston Darling,
Zarret Mills,
Alex Forbes,
Kyle Sutherland
Harvard's First Varsity Eight continued its impressive run, powering through tough headwinds to post a winning time of 6:10.0. The Crimson led the field from the start and maintained their margin through the line, finishing comfortably ahead of MIT (6:17.7) and Navy (6:21.1).
Second Varsity Eight (2V)
Lineup: Coxswain
Megan Ong,
James Stevenson,
Jack Duggan,
Nathan Evans,
Henry Jones,
Ian O'Riley,
David Picard,
Finn Crawford
The Second Varsity Eight mirrored the success of the 1V, pulling away early and never looking back. Harvard crossed in 6:16.8, well ahead of Navy (6:29.0) and MIT (6:37.7), further underscoring the team's strength and depth.
Varsity Four
Lineup: Coxswain
Ericka Lai,
Cedar Larson,
Rupert Chen, Russell O'Donnell, Alex Tonelli
Harvard's Varsity Four also delivered a commanding performance. The Crimson quartet clocked a time of 7:27.8, defeating MIT by a full 20 seconds (7:47.9), rounding out a clean sweep in the varsity races.
Third Varsity Eight (3V)
Lineup: Coxswain
Mohammad Jihad,
Matt Lyons,
Nikhil Ramaraju,
Nathan Pappas,
Howard Huang,
Milo Taylor,
Devinder Sarai,
Lucas Pinsent
In the most tightly contested race of the day, the Third Varsity Eight narrowly fell to Navy's 3V by just over a second. Harvard posted a time of 6:38.5, just behind Navy's winning time of 6:37.4. Navy's Fourth Varsity Eight came in third at 6:44.2.
Up Next
Harvard returns to action on Saturday, April 26, when it travels to face off against perennial rivals Princeton and Yale in what promises to be one of the most anticipated matchups of the season.
