Harvard's freshman lightweights are coached by Linda Muri, a 1986 graduate of MIT with a degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering. In the fall of 2009, Muri will begin her ninth season with the Crimson.

The 2008 freshman eight won its first seven dual races and a silver medal at the EARC Sprints.

In 2004, Muri led the freshman to the EARC Sprints title, the first victory for Harvard in this event since 1985. This was followed up with a victory in the freshman 4+ at the 2004 IRA National Championship, the first for Harvard in that event. Prior to coaching at Harvard, Muri served as the freshman lightweight coach at Cornell from 1998-2001. There she led the Big Red freshman to a silver medal at the EARC Sprints in her first season. Muri began her collegiate coaching career in 1990 at Simmons College. Before that, she coached at the Middlesex School and worked as a boat builder and designer in Concord, Mass.

As a competitor, Muri was a nine-time U.S. national team member and is a three-time world champion. In 1994 she was a Sullivan Award semifinalist. Muri is also an 18-time U.S. national champion, has five Head of the Charles championships to her name and is the owner of two CRASH-B Sprints hammers.

Muri's coaching efforts have expanded beyond Newell Boathouse. In 2009, Muri coached Paddy Thornycroft (Zimbabwe) in the U-23 world championships. She spent two summers (2004-05) serving as an assistant coach on the U.S. Women's Junior Team. She helped the women's 4- and 2- earn places in the grand final at the junior world championships each year and coached both crews to gold medals at the U.S. national championships in 2005. Most recently she guided the U-23 men's lightweight 4- to a seventh place finish at the 2006 U-23 world championships, its best finish ever in a U-23 competition. She coached the same boat at the 2007 U-23 world championships in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. She is also a learn-to-row instructor with a variety of camps and clubs throughout the Northeast.

Radcliffe and MIT named their series cup in honor of Muri in 2009. Radcliffe won the inaugural row with Muri on hand to congratulate the wining crew.

Originally from Woburn, Mass., Muri, earned her Master's degree in education from Harvard in 1997.