After facing a top boat in No. 2 Stanford last weekend, the Radcliffe Lightweights went up against stiff competition once again this weekend against Bucknell and conference opponent Princeton.
The varsity/second varsity eights race saw multiple lead changes throughout the course on Lake Carnegie. While the Black and White had the early lead, the Tigers eventually clawed back around the 1000-meter mark to take the lead for good, finishing at 7:14.6.
The Radcliffe varsity eight finished second at 7:16.9, while the second varsity eight finished fourth at 7:40.7. Bucknell—last year’s IRA National Championships runner-up—took third at 7:30.9.
“I think we met our expectations,” sophomore Kelly McCarthy said. “It was a solid race, and Princeton’s always very competitive. As for Bucknell, we normally don’t race them until IRAs, so it was exciting for us to meet them this early in the season and compete well against them. I’m sure they’ll pick up speed when we meet them again.”
In the varsity four, the Black and White finished third in 8:52.5.
The novice eight also had an impressive showing against the Tigers. The Black and White crossed the finish line in dominating fashion, 34.3 seconds ahead of Princeton.
—Staff writer Kevin T. Chen can be reached at ktchen@fas.harvard.edu.