When the wheels start falling off figuratively, it is not a good sign. When the rudder starts falling off literally in the biggest race of the year, words cannot do the moment justice.

That is exactly what happened to the Radcliffe second varsity heavyweight eight at the sixth annual NCAA Championships in Indianapolis, Ind.

With the second varsity boat’s setback, No. 6 Radcliffe fell to an 11th place finish in the team competition. The varsity eight finished 12th, the second varsity eight came in 10th and the varsity four placed sixth.

It was the best finish for both the varsity eight and varsity four since 1999 when they place sixth and fifth respectively. The varsity eight had managed no better than 12th in the past two NCAA Championships, while the varsity four improved upon a tenth place finish from a year ago.

The varsity eight opened strong in the first heat with a second place finish in a time of 6:54.20. The Black and White caught Virginia in the final 500 meters to edge them by seven-tenths of a second. Defending National Champion and No. 1 Washington won the heat in a time of 6:47.20.

Facing No. 2 Brown and No. 8 Princeton in the semi-finals, however, the Black and White stumbled. Radcliffe was a close third after the 500-meter split, but fell to fifth, a full two boat lengths behind, and never recovered.

The Black and White placed fifth in a time of 7:03.76. The top-three teams in each semi advanced to the Grand Final, while the others were relegated to the Petite Final.

Radcliffe was not the only top team to struggle in the semi-finals. No. 4 Yale and No. 5 Michigan also failed to qualify for the Grand Final.

“The rankings can be very misleading,” Pascavage said. “Up until now we’ve only raced against other teams in the east and you have no idea how teams in the west or midwest are going to race against you.”

In a very competitive Petite Final on Sunday morning, Yale jumped to an early lead and never looked back, winning in a time of 6:39.99. Radcliffe managed a sixth place finish in 6:47.46.

“The result in the Petites was definitely a disappointment but we gave our best,” Pascavage said. “When you are racing the top teams in the country, all you can hope to do is give your best and hope it stands up.”

The opening heat for the second varsity eight started inauspiciously for the Black and White when the scag and rudder came off the Radcliffe boat.

The mechanism which stabilizes the shell and allows the boat to be steered came off around the 100-meter mark. The point at which the rudder came off is significant because after 100 meters, the race cannot be stopped for technical malfunctions.

The rowers attempted to steer the boat using just their oars to control direction, but were forced to retire just 250 meters from the finish line when the boat became too difficult to control.

Radcliffe still had a chance to make the Grand Finals with a top-two finish in the first repechage race Saturday. The Black and White remained within a second of the leader, Michigan State, through the first 500 meters and was a strong third midway through the race, less than two seconds back at the 1,000-meter point.

Things fell apart over the next 500 meters, and by the 1,500 mark, Radcliffe was more than five seconds off the pace and sitting in fourth.

Michigan State won the race in a time of 6:56.90. Radcliffe placed fourth in a time of 7:03.97, seven seconds off the pace.

In the Petite Final on Sunday, the second varsity eight was once again looking strong through the first half of the course, sitting in second just a second off the pace. Once again the Black and White faltered in the next 500 meters and finished fourth in a time of 6:59.97. Princeton took the race in a time of 6:54.60.

The varsity four turned in Radcliffe’s top performance. The Black and White demolished the competition, winning its heat by more than nine seconds in a time of 8:04.69 and earning an automatic berth in the Grand Final.

In the Grand Final on Sunday, the varsity four appeared well on its way to posting Radcliffe’s best finish ever at a NCAA Championship. Through 1,500 meters, the Black and White were sitting in third and just a tenth of a second behind the Yale boat in second place.

However, the rest of the field overcame a tired Radcliffe team in the final 500 meters and the Black and White finished a disappointing sixth in a time of 7:49.43.

This year’s varsity four was just the fifth Radcliffe boat in history to make it through to the Grand Final of the NCAA Championship. The varsity four qualified in 1998 and 1999, placing fifth both times. That was the highest any Radcliffe boat has finished at NCAAs.