“Both boats had really great races,” co-captain Natalie Wong said. “We felt like we were really aggressive at the start, and we were able to hold that up during the race.”

Even though the weather was at times rainy and cloudy, the rowers had favorable rowing conditions, facing little headwinds and benefiting from the flat water.

“This was one of the fastest Head of the Charles races I’ve ever been in,” Wong said. “The water was perfect. It was amazing conditions to row in, and it definitely helped us to row fast.”

Traditional powerhouse Wisconsin led all boats with a time of 16:06.102, while Radcliffe rival Princeton finished as the runner-up in the event.

“In the [1V] boat, we kept going back and forth with Princeton, trying to pass them on the course,” Wong said.

Though the Black and White fell short in attempting to pass the Tigers, the regatta provided the rowers with a first glimpse at its competition for the upcoming spring season.

“The Head of the Charles is a great race, because it’s the first race of the season where we really see our competition and compare ourselves against those top teams,” Wong said.

—Staff writer Kevin T. Chen can be reached at ktchen@fas.harvard.edu.