“While we tried hard to avoid comparisons with last year, I think that part of what made those races so hard, and the losses so hard to swallow, was the constant, almost subconscious sense of having enormous shoes to fill,” Lambert said.

Following the sizeable loss to the Bulldogs, the 1V received a lineup shakeup. Junior Gretchen Weingarth was brought up from the 2V stroke position to the 1V spot, and former stroke co-captain Stef Levner was moved to the five seat. Lambert remained in the six seat, and senior Caroline Fisher and junior Mollie Durkin were moved into the fourth and third seats, respectively.

With a new lineup, the Black and White had a new life. Radcliffe steamrolled through then-No. 18 Boston University and MIT and looked prime to make a run at defending its Eastern Sprint title.

“The seat racing and the lineup changes were really good for us because they kept us from getting complacent,” Lambert said. “Everyone in the top boat got raced so every one knew that she deserved to be there.”

Make a run the Black and White did, as the 1V finally put its pieces together and stroked its race. Radcliffe revenged its losses to the Bulldogs and the Bears, falling only to the Tigers in the Grand Final.

“The high point of the season was definitely Sprints, which was the moment in the spring when we finally laid those doubting thoughts to rest,” Lambert said. “Racing at Sprints, I had a real sense that we had come together as a unique and unified group, with a shared commitment to goals that came from within.  We raced at Sprints to show what we, this year, this team, could do—and it felt good.”

The Black and White moved up to No. 4 in the last national poll and was again looking to make a run at defending its title at the NCAA Championships in Sacramento, Calif.

“I think the key is execution,” senior 2V seven-seat Megan Smith said. “We have all the necessary pieces, we just need to perform start to finish consistently in the heats and the finals.”The team title would come down to the performance of three boats—the 1V, 2V, and V4—but their performance would depend on much more.

“We’re a team that pushes from all directions,” junior V4 stroke Meredith Coogan said. “The speed of the top boats is from not only their own talent, but the pressure from all around, including the novices and those not competing at the NCAAs.”

However, the Black and White were not able to qualify a single boat for the Grand Finals, and came in 10th place overall. The 1V came in second in its Petite Final, the 2V third in its final and the V4 sixth.

“By external standards,” Lambert said, “this year may not have the same glorious flourish as last year, but in terms of personal growth and learning, I’ve accomplished a lot and the team has accomplished a lot.”

—Staff writer J. Patrick Coyne can be reached at coyne@fas.harvard.edu.