The team has gone through a lot of changes in the past year, losing longtime coach Charley Butt to the heavyweight team while Radcliffe women’s lightweight coach Michiel Bartman was called upon to fill the coaching void on the men’s lightweight team. This year’s first eight boat only saw two rowers return, with six out of the first eight from last year graduating in the spring.

“We are a very young crew, so it will take time [to mesh as a team], but we are confident that we can find the speed we need when it really matters in the spring,” junior stroke Alex Bonorris said. “Michiel is a fantastic coach…and we are really excited to continue improving under his routine.”

Although many were emphasizing the need to continue to succeed at an undefeated level, this opening race of the season is just a starting point for the rest of the races to come for the lightweights.

“This year we have a totally new crew so it’s going to be one of those times where we are going to have to build one race at a time and when we get it right, we’ll get it right,” junior seven-seat Andrew Campbell said. “And we’re going to get it right.”

For the lightweight fours, the race did not produce the same level of confidence as the first eights experienced. The team was penalized one minute for colliding with Argonaut under the Weeks footbridge. The penalty knocked the Crimson into last place for the event, finishing with an official time of 19:41.643.

“It’s just one of those unfortunate things that happens,” junior stoke Eli Leavitt said. “That’s not going to affect how we race in March, April, and May when it really matters.”

On the club competition level, the lightweights first freshman boat in men’s club eights finished in ninth place overall with a time of 15:36.721.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

CORRECTION: Oct. 26, 2013

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the placement of Harvard’s boats in two races. Harvard’s third entry took 28th, not 31st, in men’s heavyweight champion eights, while another Harvard boat took fourth, not fifth, in men’s heavyweight club eights.