University of Washington
Wisconsin
Huskies Bring Home W Cup With Sweep Of Badgers
April 14, 2017 | Men's Rowing
REDWOOD SHORES, Calif. – The No. 2-ranked Washington men's rowing team maintained its unbeaten start to the season with four victories Friday afternoon at the Stanford Invitational.
Under blue skies and with light, variable winds, the Huskies beat No. 13 Wisconsin in races featuring the first and second varsity crews and a freshman boat, and then saw the Husky third varsity eight beat Orange Coast College's top varsity eight.
Longtime rivals Washington and Wisconsin had not squared off in a dual regatta since the Badgers rowed in the 2007 Windermere Cup in Seattle, meaning that W Cup had not been contested in a decade after having been a regular feature on the teams' schedules before that.
"Our program has a strong tradition of competing against Wisconsin," UW head coach Michael Callahan said. "We feel like we're similar programs – big state schools that support rowing. It's fun to get this traditional rivalry going again. Wisconsin has a strong crew this year and we were excited to race them."
The Badgers did indeed provide stiff competition to the Huskies as all three races were relatively close. The afternoon opened with the second varsity eights, with the Huskies rowing across the line in 5:58.2, just three-and-a-half seconds ahead of the Badgers (6:01.9).
In the varsity eight race, the Huskies turned in their most convincing win of the three against Wisconsin, winning by just over nine seconds, 5:51.9 to 6:01.0.
In the freshman eights, Washington crossed the finish line about eight seats in front of the Badgers, winning with a time of 6:08.4, to Wisconsin's 6:12.1.
The Huskies' third varsity eight rowed to a convincing victory over the OCC top boat, winning by just under 20 seconds in a time of 6:10.8.
The Huskies return to action Saturday morning with all four boats racing once again. The first and second varsity crews, as well as the freshman boat, will square off with No. 11 Stanford while the third varsity eight will take on UC Davis' top varsity boat. Races start at 9:00 a.m. PT.
Follow Washington Rowing on Facebook, Twitter (@UW_Rowing) and Instagram at @washingtonrowing for updates and information.
About Washington Rowing
Rowing at University of Washington was established in 1901 with support from the local business community. In 1903, Washington entered its first intercollegiate race and defeated California, starting their storied "Cal Dual" rivalry. From this beginning, UW crews became the champions in the nation, winning the Gold Medal in the Olympics in 1936 as described in the New York Times bestseller The Boys in the Boat. UW has continued its tradition of winning championships and Olympic medals, and today is one of the best university rowing programs in the world. With its state-of-the-art training facility located on the UW campus right on the shores of Lake Washington, surrounded by mountains and in close proximity to the iconic Montlake Cut, Washington Rowing attracts the best men and women student-athletes from the Pacific Northwest and around the world. More information at GoHuskies.com, WashingtonRowing.com and @UW_Rowing.
