Radcliffe will certainly have a nice day on the River, no matter what the outcome. The forecast today calls for partly cloudy skies and a high of 77 degrees. The wind yesterday was a mild nine miles per hour from the West.
This has been a successful season for the Radcliffe heavyweights so far. The team set a Charles River record over 2000 meters with a blistering 6:17.5 on May 6 in a win over B.U. and MIT. The previous mark was 6:27.2, set by Princeton in 1993.
The Black-and-White's nine wins are the most since 1989, when the team went 11-0 in dual meets. This year's team is riding a hot streak, having won its last four meets after dropping the first two meets to Brown and Princeton, respectively.
Radcliffe has a strong history in national championship competitions. The team won the crown in 1973, and for the past two years the Black-and-White earned seventh-place finishes in the team competition. Last year's first varsity eight placed sixth in its race. The 1973 team represented the United States at the World Championships in Moscow, a remarkable feat accomplished just two years after the rowing program began at Radcliffe College.
The Radcliffe lightweights, five-time national champions, will try to win another title next weekend in Camden, N.J., at the IRA Regatta.