Considering the success of these boats last season—winning the Jope Cup as Eastern Sprints Champions—the pressure was on to row to impress.

“It does put pressure on them,” Muri admitted. “[But] most guys respond well to pressure. They enjoy the competition against the other schools, and in our league it’s very tight.”

At 9:24 a.m. the varsity eight took to the water. The race was tied through the first 500 meters, but by the third 500, the Crimson had the lead to carry it to a nine-second win in 6:16.2.

In the third race of the day, the 2V and 3V boats were pitted against the Blue Hens’ second varsity eight. Harvard’s second varsity eight finished first, and, after trailing early on, the third varsity eight came from behind to capture second place.

In the freshman races, the Crimson continued to race well.

The freshman crew won its event by almost seven seconds, and in the freshman fours race Harvard’s A boat thrashed its competition, winning by a 32-second margin. Delaware captured second place in front of the Crimson’s three other fours.

Muri noted that, despite the strong performance by the team, Harvard must keep in mind that there will be kinks to smooth out as the season progresses.

“Until you get a couple of races under your belt, you’re not quite sure how things are going,” she said.