“Winning that race was the big confidence booster for us,” Stephens said. “After beating them and beating them by that much, we started to realize that we were fast.”
Harvard scorched the Midshipmen by 4.7 seconds and crossed the line in 5:49.3. Navy would finish in 5:54.0, with half a boat of open water separating victorious No. 2 from the country’s once-undefeated No. 1 crew.
“We came out of that race ready to take on the league,” Kummer said. “That was a benchmark week, and everyone realized it.”
Despite the early finish—the varsity race ended just after 8 a.m.—a raucous group of Harvard supporters greeted the victorious lightweights as they powered through the line. It was a crowd that had been silent for three years of frustrating Haines Cup races, of close calls and second-place finishes. It was about time.
And for the Harvard varsity boat, it was time to add both a No. 1 to its name and a set of long-anticipated bright yellow shirts to its collection.
—Staff writer Aidan E. Tait can be reached at atait@fas.harvard.edu.