Harvard tried and tried and tried, but the Crimson heavyweight crew could not overcome a strong Yale crew for a win Saturday in the teams' season finale.

Harvard tried so hard that one of its senior stars, Daniel Dias, ended up in the hospital after spending every last ounce of energy he had in the race.

"It was the most inspiring thing I've ever seen," said senior coxswain Jason Kastner.

Unfortunately, the history books will fail to mention that heroic effort. All that matters to the books is that the Harvard lost to Yale on the Thames River in New London, Conn.

The Bulldogs overcame a three-quarter-boat length deficit at the three-mile mark to win the race, 20:45.94 to 20:51.98.

It was the 134th rowing of the annual Harvard-Yale Regatta, the oldest intercollegiate competition in the country, which was first run in 1852.

The race started out as a game of catch-up for Yale. The Crimson jumped out to a two-seat lead at the half-mile mark, but by the mile mark, the Bulldogs had pulled even.

After the next half-mile, the Crimson opened another two-seat lead. Harvard further extended the margin by the two-mile mark to half of a boat.

At the three-mile mark, down by three-quarters of a boat, Yale made its move.