The varsity heavyweights rowed their finest race of the year to win the Eastern Sprints on Lake Quinsigamond at Worcester Saturday.

The Crimson flew down the 2,000 meter course in just 5:54.5, a time bested only by Navy's 1952 Olympic gold medal winners.

Pennsylvania finished a length back.

Harvard, stroking 44, wasn't letting anyone run away from them at the start of this race. The Huskies from Northeastern slipped out in front for an instant, but the Crimson immediately eradicated their negligible lead.

Harvard has had trouble with its starts this year, but its performance Saturday showed pronounced improvement.

The six crews remained well bunched over the first quarter of the race--at that point, it was Harvard by three seats--but by 1,000 meters, the race had sorted out.

Crimson at Half

With half the race gone, the Crimson was up on Penn by seven seats, Harvard at a slightly low 35, Penn at 36. All other crews were a length and a half back of the leader.

As the two crews began to sprint coming up on the finish line, Harvard was still holding hard on its three-quarters length, which Penn could not seem to move on.

The Pennsylvania coxswain called the stroke up to a 38-minus. Harvard up from 35 to 38, and up again to 40. Things began to change.

Both crews sprinted masterfully, but Harvard steamed away.

Pennsylvania, however, won the junior varsity and freshman heavyweight contests, to cop the Rowe Cup.

Gruelling Jayvee Fight

Harvard and Penn staged a gruelling fight for the jayvee win. The Crimson fell back to third place at the start, but stroking at 36 and a half, came back to lead the race after 400 meters. Their margin over Penn: two seats. 500 meters later it was Penn over Harvard by two seats. With half the race gone: dead even.

As with most other races of the afternoon, all other crews were far back of these two schools.

It was during the third quarter of the race that Penn broke the Harvard junior varsity. A Crimson sprint of 38 fell short of the necessary, and Penn moved out to its final margin of just under a length.

The massive Pennsylvania freshmen overpowered Harvard. Last week, Penn registered a victory of only a second and a half over the Crimson, but Saturday, it was more.