And once again at the Toski Invitational just one week later, it was a mix of experience and youth which drove the Crimson to an even better finish.

With Gonzalez out in front with a two-day total of 152 (78-74) and Deardourff not far behind with a 155 (77-78), Harvard edged out Dartmouth by two and was a mere 12 points behind Northeast power Yale.

There was no doubt that the Crimson was making a statement.

"[The fall tournaments] are important for setting the stage for the spring," MacBean said. "It lets other teams look at us, and for us to say that we are right here, we are going to be a force to be reckon with when the spring comes around."

Just how far this team can go remains to be played out in the spring, but as it stands, the Crimson has given itself a much-needed transformation.

"We are just as competitive as any other team," Deardourff said. "What I tried to do is say that we can beat Yale...there is no reason why when we tee it up we can't beat anyone out there."

"There is really no limit, we have the players we need," said freshman Matt Dost, who shot a team-best 147 at the Dartmouth Tournament. "There are more good players [on this team], but it is still the same idea--you have to shoot good scores to finish high."

With the fall season behind them and a long winter of contemplation in the foreground, Harvard enters its break like never before.

"The best part of the fall is that we get to sit out the winter with a positive attitude," Rourque said. "And then when we begin again in the spring the attitude will be positive.

"We finished in the top ten in the Northeast [this fall] and we felt that we had the opportunity to win every tournament we played in. I haven't felt that way since freshmen year."

After a long wait, it appears that Harvard golf is finally going through a changing of the guards.