“We were very happy that we beat Brown and other collegiate crews, but we also realize that there were crews in front of us, and we need to work harder,” said senior two-seat Heather Schofield. “This gives us something to chase in the future.”

The shortened course changed the game plan for the women’s eight, who came in looking to settle hard for the three-mile race. An unpredictable wind—combined with the abbreviated race—allowed Radcliffe to row at a higher stroke rating. That rating did give the Black and White a faster start, but the eight grew tired at the race’s final turn.

“When we do that [use a higher stroke rating], we run the risk of not finishing as hard as we would like,” Schofield said. “Going into the turn toward the finish line, we definitely lost ground on a lot of crews, especially Michigan.”

With half a mile remaining, Radcliffe held more than a one-second lead over the crew from Michigan, but the Wolverines put on a late surge and outlasted the Black and White boat by two seconds. A late advantage over USRowing also evaporated for the heavyweights, who crossed the finish line behind three crews they had led at different stages of the race.

A second varsity entry for the Radcliffe heavies came in 30th, just behind the Riverside Boat Club crew.

The freshman eight proved to be a bright spot for the Black and White, starting off its campaign on the Charles with a sixth-place finish. The crew crossed the line just one second behind Brown in the Youth Eights, and was the third collegiate boat to finish, trailing fourth-placed Virginia and the fifth-placed Bears.