The Harvard men’s lightweight rowing team, ranked No. 1, will compete in the Eastern Sprints regatta on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester on May 18 as it aims to defend its title. The team returns to competition after a three-week break, with preliminary heats for the Harvard lights beginning at 8:50 a.m. and finals racing starting at 2:20 p.m.
The Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (EARC) Sprint Regatta has been held since 1963, with Harvard claiming its first title in 1966 and earning a total of 23 titles since then. In recent years, Harvard secured back-to-back championships in both 2024 and 2025. Last year’s varsity eight boat finished more than three and a half seconds ahead of Cornell.
This season, Harvard has defeated several Ivy League opponents including Cornell and Penn on April 4, Dartmouth on April 11 at home, as well as Princeton and Yale for the Goldthwait and Vogel Cups on April 25 in Cambridge. During that last competition, both the varsity eight and second varsity eight boats won awards; the second varsity boat also claimed the Prentke Cup.
The scheduled race times for Sunday are tentative: Varsity Eight preliminaries at 8:50 a.m., Second Varsity preliminaries at 9:10 a.m., and Third Varsity finals at 2:20 p.m. The lineups include coxswain Nathalie Gregg leading the V8 crew with Ben Lundie as stroke; Sylvie Spitz coxing the second varsity lineup; and Haley Hicks steering the third varsity boat.
Looking ahead, Harvard is set to compete again later this month at the IRA National Championships in Sacramento from May 29-31.
