It is hard to repeat and even harder to three-peat, but the Harvard men's lightweight rowing team did just that in 2026 with a third-consecutive IRA National Championship and undefeated season.

The undefeated dual campaign began in early April against Cornell and Penn as the Crimson claimed the Mathews-Leonard Cup and Franklin Cup. Harvard's first home race on the Charles followed with a sweep of Dartmouth by the varsity, second varsity and the V4+. Harvard swept again a week later against Navy and MIT leading into the Harvard-Yale-Princeton Regatta back home. Harvard won three cups on the day with the varsity and second varsity earning wins. The V8 claimed the Goldthwait Cup and the 2V8 the Prentke Cup, while Harvard also earned the Vogel Cup for overall points.

Postseason racing began at Eastern Sprints in Worcester, where No. 1 Harvard won its third striaght title. All three Crimson boats landed on the podium with the 2V8 and 3V8 following up the V8's gold medal with bronze.

At the IRA National Championship Regatta on Lake Natoma in California, Harvard defeated Princeton for a third time on the season to take the title. Harvard's 2V8 also won gold, while the V4+ won silver.