Conditions on Potomac Yield Variable Results

Though adverse conditions forced the cancellation of the Radcliffe heavyweight crew’s dual-race against Brown, the lightweight crew were the champs of the Potomac, sweeping both races against Georgetown in Washington D.C. to win the Class of 2004 Cup.

Both boats emerged victorious over Georgetown for No. 5 Radcliffe despite windy and wavy conditions out on the river.

Rowing on the Potomac in April is no joke, as the winds—reaching as high as 25 miles per hour—and currents made even rowing in a straight line far from simple.

“The conditions were extreme,” junior Grace Hallowell said.

“I don’t think we’ve ever raced in anything like that. There were 20-25 mile-per-hour wins and it was difficult getting aligned at the start.”

Competing against the elements challenged the Black and White’s rowers to maintain composure and strong fundamentals, but Radcliffe’s practice appears to be paying off.

“In these conditions, you have to say composed and stick to the practice and techniques,” junior Medha Khandelwhal said. “It’s easy to get flustered and let your technique go downhill and let the situation overwhelm you, but we did a good job taking control.”

The second varsity eight scored the first victory of the day, topping the Hoyas by 3.9 seconds with a finishing time of 6:37. Both teams were in the race from the start, and neither was able to gain an advantage in the first 1000 meters.

“Around the 1000-meter mark, we started moving away from them and then finished off the race trying to get as big a lead as we could,” Khandelwal said.

The victory displayed the depth of the Black and White’s team and gave the varsity eight a confidence boost before the second race of the day.

“The 2-V has been really strong, especially this week and they’ve been moving well together in practice,” Hallowell said.

“They found their rhythm and found what they needed. I think it’s really good for the team to see us winning in both boats.”

The varsity eight overcame an early Georgetown lead during the first 250 meters and used the middle 1000 meters to open up the lead by more than a boat-length.

From there, Radcliffe never looked back, crossing the finish line a comfortable 6.4 seconds ahead of Georgetown with a finish time 6:22.

“Both boats stayed really composed and rowed a really good race and showed all the work that we put in this season,” Khandelwal said.

The victory over the Hoyas gives the Black and White its first significant win of the year against a top national opponent and returns the Class of 2004 Cup to Radcliffe for the first time since 2006.

“Georgetown is always a really fast team,” Hallowell said. “Especially in the last couple years, they’ve gotten really fast. Last year, they were in the top at IRA and the year before that. Since I’ve been here, we haven’t won the Cup, and it was really exciting to finally bring it back this year.”

The No. 10 Radcliffe heavyweight crew’s first opportunity for timed competition did not materialize this weekend thanks to unfavorable conditions on the Charles River Basin. Originally scheduled as a dual meet, the race moved upstream and was run as an untimed event.

Rowing from the BU Bridge back towards Harvard to finish at the Weeks Bridge, the Black and White raced five varsity boats as well as the novice squad, while six varsity crews from Brown also raced the course, where headwinds and crosswinds proved challenging to navigate.

The heavyweight crew team will compete against Princeton and Cornell next Saturday while the lightweights travel to Camden, New Jersey this weekend for the Knecht Cup, which will feature over 50 crews from schools across the country.

—Staff writer Robert T. Hamlin can be reached at rhamlin@fas.harvard.edu.