Sculling newcomer Wiki Royden finished second in the women's singles event. Cambridge Boat Club's Gail Pierson beat Royden by 38 seconds for her second straight Head win.

Radcliffe sculler Marie Adams took seventh place in the singles competition, and Robin Chase grabbed 14th.

Despite the strong performance, Baker was hesitant to predict a strong Radcliffe performance next spring.

"There's almost no connection between the Head and what goes on in the spring. We'll just have to wait and see," he said.

Opponents Wary

But Yale's Anne Warner said, "Radcliffe looked awfully strong today. They'll be even stronger in the spring."

Princeton's Cathy Brown added, "Radcliffe fielded a lot of boats today. That's got to be evidence of a powerful program."

Hadley said the addition of coaches Huntsman and Bill Backman had contributed to the improvement in Radcliffe's performance.

"With Peter coaching the lightweights and Bill teaching the novices, John has more time for the returning oarsmen," she said.