“Rowing has been a staple for me every single day,” French echoes. “I’ve gotten to travel to places I’ve never been, I’ve made some really good friendships, and I’ve become a part of something that has such a long history at Harvard.”

With the race in Oklahoma past and its final Head of the Charles fast approaching, the senior class has the task of defining how it will leave its mark, continuing the program’s more than 150-year-old legacy of a strong work ethic, team spirit, commitment, and fast results.

“We want to set a standard of working hard and keep what’s going, going,” French says, “even if it means going to train with younger guys outside of our own practice time.”

For the underclassmen, the seniors’ efforts have already made a lasting impression.

“They have a very clear goal that they set for us,” DiSanto says. “It’s not just about being good within our team or being good within our league but about being the best we can be and living up to our potential.”

With the different interests and backgrounds that define their class, the seven seniors will likely go in all different directions following graduation, but rowing, the special sport that brought them together during their time at Harvard, will undeniably be the tie that binds beyond college too.

—Staff writer B. Marjorie Gullick can be reached at gullick@college.harvard.edu.