The Dynasty Lives On

When you have as storied and successful a heavyweight crew program as Harvard does, preseason expectations are always high. Heady goals are a part of winning. But this spring, predictions of Crimson success--and success for the overachieving Harvard heavies means an Eastern Sprints title or a national championship--are emanating not just from Newell Boat House.

Harvard Heavyweight Crew

1986 record: 4-1-1

1987 record to date: 2-0

(Eastern Sprints on May 10)

With undefeated junior varsity and freshman crews last season, and several returning members from a varsity Eight that in '86 was just a shade away from victories in major regattas, Harvard was almost a consensus preseason pick as the heavyweight crew to beat.

And if there were any doubters, a convincing April 4 win at the prestigious San Diego Crew Classic may have won them over. The heavies downed six other crews in the final, including Washington, Navy, and Wisconsin--the crews that figure to be the Crimson's main challengers come May and June.

Pennsylvania, last year's Eastern Sprints champions, failed to qualify for the final after fouling a Stanford boat in their heat, but is sure to be a top-flight crew once again this season.

Harvard Coach Harry Parker enjoyed the victory in California, but is unsure what effect it will have on the rest of the Crimson campaign. "It was a nice win," Parker said, "but I don't think it's an advantage at all. It just sets you up for everyone else."

The mere fact that Parker took his crew to San Diego is an indication of just how strong a crew he feels he has. He doesn't take teams he doesn't think can win, and the heavies hadn't made the trip in three years. That hiatus includes the 1985 Crimson, a crew which eventually won the national championship and the Grand Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta in England.

Another hint at the quality of the Harvard varsity is that Parker has elected not make any changes in the line-up, at least in the early season. "I think we'll leave them this way for awhile," Parker said.

And when Harry Parker thinks he has winning chemistry in his Eight, other crews should consider themselves warned.

This season marks a quarter century for Parker at the helm of the Harvard program, and in his previous 24 campaigns he has guided no less than 13 undefeated crews, and captured 14 Eastern Sprints titles. They are legendary stats for a legendary coach.

The crew that Parker will be trying to elevate to his lofty standards this year is an even mix of last year's varsity, junior varsity, and fresman crews. The combination reflects the continuity and strength of the program, and doesn't sacrifice big-race experience. Even the younger members of the Eight, Parker notes, are fairly experienced racers. "It's not a bad combination," he adds.

Back in the Eight from last year's varsity are the stern pair of seniors George Hunnewell at stroke and Rich Kennelly at seven. Moving up form the JV which didn't lose all last year until it faced the Harvard freshmen at Henley, are Captain Steve Wayne at four, Kevin Cameron at two, and Claude Sirlin at five. Varsity recruits from that extraordinary '86 freshman boat include six-man Jack Rusher, three-man Donald Fawcett, and Phillip Schuller in bow.

Junior Jim Crick, last year's JV cox and never a loser in an collegiate race, will call the varsity's races this spring.

After its own convincing win at San Diego, this year's JV boat figured to be similarly dominant in its own division. However, the jayvees were upset by Brown last Saturday.

Harvard freshmen Coach Ted Washburn's crews have dominated the competition for the past four years, earning Eastern Sprints titles in each of those campaigns, but Washburn may be facing an uphill battle to extend that streak in '87. His vulnerable first heavies dropped their season-opener to the Brown frosh last Saturday.

Schedule

On April 25, the heavies see action in Philadelphia against Penn and Navy for the Adams Cup, an annual struggle between three powerhouses that Harvard hasn't won in three years. Penn took the race '86, and Navy was the victor the two previous seasons.

Then it's a May 2 tune-up against Northeastern, in preparation for the crucial EARC Sprints on May 10 at Worcester. The Sprints determine Eastern rowing supremacy, and mark the first major regatta of the late season. The heavies most recently nabbed Sprints crowns in '85 and '83.

Trips to the national championship race at Cincinnati and the Henley Regatta in England may be forthcoming if the Crimson Eight is as successful as predicted, but one match-up that can be counted on is the Harvard-Yale race at New London, Conn., on June 6.

The Crimson-Eli match up was first held in 1852, marking the first intercollegiate athletic contest in the United States. Harvard has captured the past two installments of this definition-of-tradition rivalry.

And though it's still early in the season, the Harvard varsity heavyweights are a good bet to be winners quite frequently in this, their 128th season of competition.