Rowing on home waters for the first time in the spring season, the first varsity for the No. 1 Harvard men’s heavyweight crew found itself in a very unusual spot 500 meters into Saturday’s marquee heat.

Second.

Courtesy of a solid start, Princeton’s first eight jumped out to an early lead, holding first place for the first quarter of the race.

But unfazed by the surprising challenge from the Tigers, the Crimson battled back into race, walking back through the Princeton boat over the subsequent 500 meters to draw level at the midway point.

Even when Harvard’s boat had overtaken the Tigers’ to recapture the lead, the heat was certainly not over. Princeton nipped at the Crimson’s heels the entire length of the course, finishing a mere 1.6 seconds off the winning pace of 5:45.8.

MIT’s entry finished a distant third, clocking in at 6:22.3.

None of Harvard’s other boats encountered similarly stiff resistance in their races, as the Crimson coasted to victory in each of the other four events to sweep the day and lock up Harvard’s 54th overall Compton Cup.

Of those Crimson coach Harry Parker has won 37, losing on just five occasions.

In the second varsity, the Tigers roared early, sticking close to their Harvard counterparts through the first 1,000 meters. But that challenge became a muted whimper over the course’s final half, when the Crimson broke contact.

Harvard finished in 5:55.0, while Princeton timed in at 6:09.1 and MIT 6:44.5.

The third varsity enjoyed similar success, winning by 10 seconds, while the first and second freshman boats won by 5.3 and 3 seconds, respectively.