Harvard varsity crew wins Head of the Charles rowing race

The men's heavyweight crew won the championship for the first time since 1977.

Harvard Heavyweight Crew from clockwise from top left: associate head coach Bill Manning, Patrick Lapage, head coach Harry Parker, Matthew Edstein, Caspar Jopling, Andrew Reed, Josh Hicks, Andrew Holmes, David Fuller, James O’Connor, Sam O’Connor

For the first time in 34 years, the Harvard heavyweight men's crew won the Championship Eight event at the Head of the Charles Regatta, and Boston Globe sportswriter John Powers ’70 captured the details. It was Harvard's third victory in this event, which has been dominated in recent years by national-team crews. (Previous wins came in 1969 and 1977.)

The Crimson varsity, coming off an extraordinarily successful spring season, dethroned the reigning champions from the University of Washington, who had finished two seconds ahead of Harvard in the 2010 Head and also won the national title at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association regatta in June. As the Head of the Charles champions, the Huskies started first, 10 seconds ahead of the Crimson, which began closing on them after the first mile. The triumph was a satisfying one for both the crew and head coach Harry Parker, in his fiftieth year of leading the program, who has been receiving treatment for cancer recently. “Harry’s had a rough time these last few months, but he’s handling it with his typical persistence,’’ stroke Patrick Lapage told Powers. “It means the world to us to do it for him."

Related topics

You might also like

What Does the $2.8B NCAA Settlement Mean for Harvard?

Athlete-payment case will change little for Ivy League athletes.

Filmmaker John Armstrong’s Adventure Documentaries

Filmmaker John Armstrong’s “outdoor adventures” find the human spirit.

The Woman Who Rode Horses Into the Water

Scrapbooking a woman who rode horses into the sea

Most popular

Shakespeare’s Greatest Rival

Without Christopher Marlowe, there might not have been a Bard.

Harvard President Alan Garber Helps First-Years Move In

As a potential settlement with the Trump administration looms, Garber gets students settled. 

Two Years of Doxxing at Harvard

What happens when students are publicly named and shamed for their views?

Explore More From Current Issue

Julie Riew, wearing a white dress, playing guitar and singing into a microphone on stage.

Bringing Korean Stories to Life

Composer Julia Riew writes the musicals she needed to see.

Room filled with furniture made from tightly rolled newspaper sheets.

A Paper House in Massachusetts

The 1920s Rockport cottage reflects resourceful ingenuity.

Illustrated world map showing people connected across countries with icons for ideas, research, and communication.

Why Harvard Needs International Students

An ed school professor on why global challenges demand global experiences