What a difference six-tenths of a second makes.

For the Radcliffe lightweight crew, six-tenths was the difference between a third consecutive national championship and the inconsequential title of first runner-up, the difference between ultimate achievement and unenviable disappointment.

The Black and White took second place this weekend at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championship on Cooper River in Camden, N.J. Radcliffe failed to complete the threepeat, finishing with a time of 6:45.6, just off the winning time of 6:45.0 posted by Villanova, the new national champions.

Radcliffe's male counterparts suffered a similar fate at IRAs. Despite posting the fastest qualifying time in the preliminary heats--more than seven seconds ahead of its closest competitor--the Harvard lights finished third in the finals with a time of 5:47.2.

Princeton took the men's title in 5:43.7, and Columbia placed second with a time of 5:45.8. The Crimson staked itself to an early lead, but the Tigers took control of the race in the second 1,000 meters and never looked back.

The Radcliffe heavyweight crews, meanwhile, were participating in the NCAA Championships on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Ga. The combined score of the team's three boats was good for a seventh-place finish among the eight participating schools.

The Black and White's first boat finished fifth of six boats in the qualifying heats, barely qualifying for the semifinals. Another fifth-place finish in its semifinal heat eliminated Radcliffe from participating in the Grand Finals.

Radcliffe's second eight-person boat finished last in its qualifying heat. The Black and White's four-person boat rowed to a third-place finish in its qualifying heat, but a fifth-place result in its semifinal heat also left it out of the finals.

Both the first heavyweight boat and the four-person boat participated in the petite finals. The Radcliffe eight's time of 7:03.7 was good for a second-place finish in the petites behind Princeton (7:00.6). The Black and White's four-person boat finished fourth in its petite final. The University of Washington's varsity eight captured the NCAA Championship.