Each time the Harvard crew teams take the water, they are challenged--physically and mentally. They must respond and find a rhythm. It may not work all the time, but when it does, it means victory.

The Crimson heavyweight and lightweight varsity crews responded to all challenges Saturday.

The heavies came from behind to outpace Brown, 6:08.8 to 6:12.1, on the Charles River, and the lights easily glided past Penn and Cornell in Philadelphia.

For both teams, the victories were a model of aggresive play and persistence.

"It was a matter of setting down and finding that swing," heavy-weight coxswain Travis Metz said.

Metz helped manuever his boat to the victory after falling behind early. Brown quickly established a 30-stroke lead, and before Harvard had a chance to get wet, it was trailing.

At the 500-meter mark, the Crimson battled its surprise and Brown's lead and began to gain on the Bruins.

"We were prepared for them to take the lead...but we were surprised to be behind as much as we were," five-seat Peter Sharis said. "We didn't panic, and they started to tire."

Harvard took a power-20 stroke at the 900-meter mark. From that point, the momentum and the race would be the Crimson's.

"By the end of the race, we got our legs," Metz said. [The win] supplies us with a lot of confidence that we need early in the season."

Lightweights

For the lightweights, the decisive victory was a response to their loss to Yale in San Diego last week. In California, Harvard allowed the Elis to outrace them. This time, there were no allowances, only paybacks.

The Crimson simply overpowered Penn and Cornell. Harvard's confidence put the distance between it and its two competitors.

"We had to be very aggressive," three-seat Ted Marple said. "We attacked them as hard as we could."

Penn and Cornell never really challenged. Harvard shot out of the gate like a Red Sox fan in Yankee Stadium and never looked back. By the 500-meter mark, the Crimson's lead was certain and it was only a question of margin.

"You can never be satisified with any leads," Marple said. "This is going to set a good precedent for the season."