In the first varsity race, Harvard pulled ahead in the second half of the course to finish in 6:44.3, defeating Navy by 10.5 seconds. The second varsity race was also a close contest, with the Crimson completing the course in 6:41.6, 9.2 seconds ahead of the Midshipmen.

“It was really tight in both races to the 1,000-meter mark,” Schultze said. “Both races played out similarly in that in the third 500 we started to really find rhythm and pull away. In the second varsity we had a really great sprint and were able to move away as the race progressed.”

The Harvard freshman boat also recorded a win in 6:44.9. The third varsity race went to Navy, which defeated the Crimson by a margin of 12.6 seconds.

Harvard will face Yale and Princeton next weekend in the annual Harvard-Yale-Princeton Regatta, one of the most historic and challenging competitions of the season for the Crimson.

“It’s definitely going to be a fast race with a lot of good guys on the start line, so we are looking forward to it,” Schultze said.

—Staff writer Alexa N. Gellman can be reached at agellman@college.harvard.edu.