Making History

For Harvard athletics, yesterday was all about ending droughts. The No. 2 men’s varsity lightweight crew and the men’s lacrosse team each tallied victories against Navy and Princeton, respectively, to bring the end of a winning era for these two dominant opponents.

The varsity eight won at Navy for the first time in 13 years yesterday morning by 5.5 seconds, a time good enough to keep the coveted Haines Cup. The Crimson (8-0) finished in 5:52.2, and the varsity eight was one of four Harvard boats to finish before the No. 3 Midshipmen. The second and third varsity eight, as well as the freshman eight, beat Navy, overcoming a strong Annapolis home crowd for the wins.

Back in Cambridge and on land, the men’s lacrosse team was accomplishing a similar feat, only in a very different sport. Harvard downed the No. 6 Tigers for the first time since 1990, putting itself in the position to secure a spot in the Ivy League tournament. Three goals from sophomore Kevin Vaughan and two goals and an assist from junior Dean Gibbons, who helped maintain a steady first-half shot advantage over Princeton, bolstered the 11-8 victory. The Crimson improves to 6-5 overall and 2-3 in the Ancient Eight and will close out regular season against No. 11 Yale on Saturday.

This post has been revised for the following correction:

CORRECTION: April 27, 2010

An earlier version of the Apr. 25 sports blog post "Making History" incorrectly stated that the Harvard lightweight varsity crew defeated Navy for the first time in 13 years. In fact, the instance marked the first time the Harvard team won at Navy in 13 years.