“We took a lot of inspiration from the recruits,” says Simon Maas, a walk-on who rowed in the bow seat of the 2F. “[There was] a strong team atmosphere, a sense of inter-competition, but we always knew we were competing with each other, not against each other.”

The 2F thrived in the competition, falling only to Yale and Navy in the dual season. In its biggest race of the year, the boat bit the Bulldogs back, taking second to Navy at Eastern Sprints.

“It showed that we had improved and had desire for a little bit more,” Maas says. “We were fueled [by the loss to Yale]. It was really nice to come back from that and get the silver medal at Sprints.”

And according to Muri, the 2F’s impact cannot be measured by its record alone.

“[The success of the team] had to do with having that strong group of guys in the 2F pushing that strong group of guys in the 1F,” Muri says.

Now in their second year rowing on the Charles, the walk-ons are facing their next big challenge: competing for seats in one of the top lightweight programs in the country.

“It’s an entirely different pool,” Maas says. “It’s a lot more inspirational being amongst [the varsity] guys. It says a lot about the program that you can pick up a sport and then next year be competing against guys who row for their respective national teams and are some of the best rowers in the country, at least at the collegiate level.”

While Maas and his fellow walk-ons may not have matched the level of the national team rowers quite yet, their talent and motivation have their coaches optimistic about their futures on the squad.

“I think they’re just going to be coming into their own,” Muri says. “They’re going to continue to surprise themselves. They need some more time, some more miles. This is going to be the start of what they can do.”

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