In the second varsity eight race, the Big Red went a length up early in the race, but the Crimson walked through Cornell’s crew for a 9.3 second win.

“That’s encouraging to hear that the guys stayed relaxed and trusted the coxswain,” DiSanto said.

Harvard’s third varsity eight never had the luxury of a nine-second lead but was able to eke out a 2.2-second win.

“I heard it was a very hard-fought race,” DiSanto said. “It’s great to know guys on your team dug deep on got the victory.”

The freshmen had no such trouble. The freshman eight led off the start and kept moving for a 14.3 second victory.

“The freshmen also had a really good race, which will give them confidence as they get used to college racing,” Locke said. “They have bigger races coming up. It was a good confidence builder for them.”

While the Crimson pulled off the sweep this time, the rowers know of the Big Red’s ability to peak for later races.

“They haven’t spent a lot of time on the water,” Locke said. “We’re expecting them to get quicker and to have much more competitive races.”

While Harvard’s top boats were taking care of business on the Charles, a crew of fourth-varsity and second-freshman boat rowers was dispatching the first varsity eights from the University of Vermon and Tulane University on Malden River in Medford, Mass. The Crimson’s 4V and 2F edged Vermon by 4.1 seconds and dominated Tulane by 34.2 seconds.

—Staff writer Christina C. McClintock can be reached at ccmcclin@fas.harvard.edu.