“When someone wins a race after you’ve been down, it’s the best pick-up you have,” Casey said.

Evans apparently picked herself up, as she came back to double in the 200-yard butterfly in 2:03.58.

By the end of the meet, with just the 200-yard breaststroke and the 400-yard freestyle relay remaining, Harvard knew it had to win both to have a chance at a victory.

Co-captain Rachael O’Beirne came through in the former, leading virtually throughout and winning in 2:23.01.

Unfortunately, Pittsburgh took second, third and fourth, meaning that, even when Harvard captured the relay, it wasn’t enough.

Next, the Crimson, with its strong butterfliers and freshman class, looks forward to the Harvard-Yale-Princeton meet on Jan. 31. Indeed, the team has posted a countdown to the meet, complete with motivational messages, in its locker room.

“On paper, race-for-race, as long as we’re focused and have the energy that day, we could definitely win,” Stapleton said.

—Staff Writer Alan G. Ginsberg can be reached at aginsber@fas.harvard.edu.