The key word this season for the Radcliffe heavy and lightweight crew teams is "depth."

Everyone from coaches to rowers, heavies to lights, novices to varsity, is excited about the breadth of commitment and strength that has been evident on all squads during the fall and winter training seasons.

"This year we don't have a boat full of superstars, like the Serena Eddys or Alison Townleys [Radcliffe grads and national team rowers]," Radcliffe Coach Liz O'Leary said. "But we have depth and a lot of people who are really competitive, which makes it a stronger squad, although the individuals aren't there."

Attesting to that depth is the Black and White's third-place finish in the Head of the Charles Regatta this fall, the placing of four Radcliffe rowers among the top six collegiate rowers in the Crash-B Sprints (an erg competition in the winter), and the novice crews' first and third-place finishes in the Foot of the Charles Regatta in November--the first Harvard victory in the Foot in eight years.

The Truth Hurts

"Some coaches say you're only as good as your junior varsity eight, because if it's strong it will push your varsity eight and make it go that much faster," O'Leary said. "Hopefully both [Novice Coach] Holly [Hatton] and I have that potential this year."

"Depth is a big factor this season," varsity rower Mary McCagg agreed. "Last year, coming out of winter training, it was almost clear who would be in the first boat, but everybody's been working equally hard this year. It's going to be tough."

The Radcliffe heavyweight crew has been a consistently strong team since its inception 19 years ago. The heavies have lost only one regular-season race in the last three years and have either won or placed in the top three in both Sprints and nationals in the last few seasons.

This year, Radcliffe is looking to recapture the Eastern Sprints Championship that it lost in a close race to Brown last May, in addition to topping Yale, which was the only squad to beat the heavies in the 1988 season.

"It will be a winning season--our goal is to go to Sprints undefeated," O'Leary said. "My first year coaching here we went undefeated and in the second, we only lost once, so we hope to continue that tradition."

Radcliffe graduated four seniors from last year's first boat, but returning are Olympian Juliet Thompson, seniors Betsy McCagg and Mary McCagg, and juniors Jillian Buriak and Joanna Bench.

The Black and White went through a slightly different and more intense weight and long-range training program this winter.

"It's not so much the workouts though," O'Leary said, "but rather the people's attitudes towards them. There are a lot of good athletes on the novice and varsity squads doing the work we've set up for them, but it all boils down to how fast we can make the boats go."

Right now Radcliffe is back on the Charles doing long fitness pieces and will soon taper down to racing-season pieces.

"We've already done the training," said Thompson, who is this year's heavyweight crew captain. "We just have to fine tune the machine."

The heavies will travel to Redwood Shores, Ca, for the Stanford Crew Classic in April to compete against Stanford Washington, Berkeley, and other non-Ivy crews.

"It's the only time before Sprints where we can see Wisconsin and get to race with West Coast crews," O'Leary said. "In addition to Yale and Sprints, it is where we see our most competitive races."

Last year's varsity eight included three rowers who were technically lightweights, making it one of the smaller boats Radcliffe has had in years. Many of this year's lightweights also have a shot at the priority varsity boat.

"Size isn't always everything," O'Leary said. "We're tough racers who are really, really aggressive."

Lightweights

While there may not be much of a distinction between the ability and toughness of the Radcliffe lightweights and heavyweights, the Black and White lights are lengths ahead of most other lightweight programs in Heavyweight Crew Coach:  Liz O'Leary Captain:  Juliet Thompson Last Year:  (6-2, 2-1) Home Meets:  Charles River The Schedule

April Sun, 9  MIT  10:00 a.m. Sat, 15-  Redwood Shores Regatta  -- Sun, 16  (at Stanford, Ca.)  -- Sat, 22  at Dartmouth/Syracuse/New Hampshire  10:00 a.m. Sun, 23  Cornell/Princeton  TBA   (at New Haven, Conn.) Sat, 29  YALE  12:45 p.m.

May Sat, 6  BOSTON UNIVERSITY 8:30 a.m. Sun, 21  EWARCH Sprints(New Preston, Conn.)  -- Lightweight Crew Coach:  Holly Metcalf Captains:  Sarah Yeates, Hye-Jin Lim Last Year:  (2-0, 1-0) Home Meets:  Charles River The Schedule

April Sat, 1-  at S.D. Crew Classic  -- Sun, 2  (at San Diego, Ca.)  -- Sun, 9  MIT  10:15 a.m. Sat, 15  at Cornell/Princeton  10:00 a.m. Sat, 22  WELLESLEY/SIMMONS/MIT MT. HOLYOKE  9:30 a.m. Sat, 29  YALE  9:15

May Sat, 6  MT. HOLYOKE  9:00 a.m. Sun, 21  EWARC Sprints  --   (New Preston, Conn.) the country.

The varsity lightweight four has not lost aregular-season regatta in six years, and for threeout of the past four years, the lightweight eighthas captured the San Diego Crew Classic.

And the year they didn't win, 1986, theyweren't even there.

The main problem this season, as it has beensince the inception of the program, is findingtough competition. Lightweight Coach HollyMetcalfe has been consistently working on luringcrews from the Dad Vail League to compete againstRadcliffe and this year, Mount Holyoke mayparticipate in a regular-season regatta.

Other Ivy crews have been developing theirlightweight programs and, this year Princeton willbe racing two lightweight fours.

For the lights, this is bittersweet news, asthe Tigers edged out the Black and White by justunder one second in the nationals last year.

"The lightweights were disappointed to lose toPrinceton in the nationals last year," McCaggsaid. "This year, they are really aiming forthem."

"We're looking forward to two things--the CrewClassic and the Sprints," Co-Captain Sarah Yeatessaid, "but Princeton should be a pretty goodrace."

The lights will be sending an eight to SanDiego over spring break and will then form thepriority varsity four boat and an eight for therest of the season.

Globetrotting Rowers

The Radcliffe heavies and lights also maytravel this summer to the Henley Regatta for womenin England, an event which premiered last year.

"Radcliffe was invited this year, and it wouldbe a different experience and new competition,"Yeates said. "The men do international competitionand it would be good for us to get someinternational experience as well.