Three Harvard crews left no question as to their supremacy in the East Saturday when they scored an unprecedented sweep of the 2000 meter championship sprint regatta held at Syracuse by the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges. The victories netted the Crimson a total of 261 losers' rowing shirts.

Usually accustomed to a low-stroking effort over a mile and three-quarters distance, the Crimson varsity demonstrated that it could also raise a high beat as it turned on its fastest sprint of the season to edge Penn and Princeton in the finals and gain possession of the Rowe Cup.

For the first time this year the Crimson was threatened as Penn moved up near the finish. But the varsity showed the 15,000 spectators on the shores of Lake Onondaga that it was able to speed and yet continue to row cleanly. Harvard took the stroke up to 41 and won by open water in 6:48.8 despite a strong headwind.

Quakers Dangerous

Penn, a high-stroking, "sprint" crew was especially formidable over the short distance, but the Crimson's job was somewhat lightened by the fact that the Quakers' shell veered off the course until it came dangerously near the beach.

Harvard didn't gain the lead until the halfway mark. Stroke Bill Curwen had been setting a steady 32 beat and then slowly increased it to 36 to pull even with the Penn beat which was stroking at 39. The Crimson's terrific sprint, coupled with Penn's poor steering, gave Harvard a two-thirds length victory victory and with it the championship.

Runners up to Harvard and Penn were in this order, Princeton, Cornell, Yale, and Navy.

The Big Red, which Harvard faces Saturday, May 28 on Lake Cayuga, gave Princeton quite a battle for third place and lost by just a deck length. Yale, the defending sprint champion, was never in the contention after the first half mile.

To earn its place in the finals, the Crimson won a morning qualifying heat, again beating Penn by about the same margin of two-thirds of a length. Harvard, not extending itself overmuch, rowed a casual 37 at the finish when it came from behind to beat Penn, Navy, BU, Syracuse, and Rutgers in that order.

Jayvees, Freshmen Win

Like the varsity, the jayvees also were forced to row a fast stroke at the finish of their six-crew finals. To defeat Princeton by two-thirds of a length, the Crimson junior varsity had to sprint at 42.

The jayvees were clocked in 6:50.9, and Princeton finished in 6:58.3. From there down the order of finish was Yale, Navy, BU, and MIT.

The closest of the three finals sprints came in the freshman competition with Harvey Love's Crimson nipping MIT by half a length and Princeton by a length. Behind were Cornell, Navy, and BU.

The Summaries:

Varsity--1, Harvard 6:48.8; 2, Penn 6:53.1; 3, Princeton 6:57.8; Cornell 6:58.3; 5, Yale, 7:01.4; 6, Navy 7:06.5.

Junior Varsity--1, Harvard, 6:50.9; 2, Princeton 6:53.3; 3, Yale 6:58.4; 4, Navy 7:06; 5, BU 7:06.8; 6, MIT 7:11.4.

Freshmen--1, Harvard 6:52.5; 2, MIT 6:55; 3, Princeton 6:56.8; 4, Cornell 6:57.7; 5, Navy 7:06; 6, BU 7:11.4