But the 5’6 California native stuck with the sport, competing in IRAs in his freshman season and hopping into the second varsity boat as a sophomore.

“[Louie’s] been very good at picking up the feel of the boat and being able to make calls, make comments...to the rowers while they’re rowing to change the feel of the boat,” Muri says. “And I’m not sure if that’s something I can teach, or that the varsity coach can teach. You have to be aware of that, and he has that sense, that feeling.”

As Louie has gained experience, his sense of the boat’s rhythm has only improved.

“The coxswain has to actively sense what’s going on in the boat—you don’t have an oar in the water,” Louie says. “All nine guys are sitting there and trying to make the boat go as fast as possible, but only one of them’s got the microphone. And unfortunately, that one is the one who can sense the least amount. So the best coxswains are the ones that are so good that they know all the ways to figure out how well the boat is going.”

Louie has also gained the respect of his rowers for his competitive drive and mastery of the art of coxing.

“One of the things I like the most about Dexter is the fire that he brings to the competitions,” Dourdeville says. “He can really, really get the motivation up for any race, especially the longer head races like we have in the fall. And that’s critical.”

In their second season in the varsity boat, these three now-seasoned walk-ons will look to row the Crimson back to the top of the national heap—an achievement they never would have thought possible on that first day in the Yard.

“The whole walk-on thing is pretty cool, because if you think about it, I came to Harvard just like anybody else,” Louie says. “And here I am, four years later, competing in one of the best lightweight teams in the nation. That’s kind of unbelievable.”

—Staff writer Kate Leist can be reached at kleist@fas.harvard.edu.