Saturday, May 29
West Windsor, NJ
5:00 AM
University of Washington
vs
IRA Championship Regatta
Washington Sweeps IRAs; Wins Program's 19th National Championship
May 29, 2021 | Men's Rowing
WEST WINDSOR, N.J. – Washington has climbed back to the top of the men's collegiate rowing world. Saturday, the No. 1-ranked Huskies swept all four grand finals at the 2021 Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship Regatta, earning the program's 19th national championship.
The Huskies, who last won the championship in 2015, overcame rainy, cold (mid-40s) and windy conditions at Mercer Lake to earn the Varsity Challenge Cup thanks to its victory in the varsity eight grand final – the national championship race.
Washington also won the Kennedy Challenge Cup, the Stewards Cup and the Eric W. Will Trophy thanks to grand final victories in the second varsity eight, third varsity eight and the varsity four, respectively. Additionally, the Huskies retained the James Ten Eyck Memorial Trophy as overall points winner for the ninth straight time.
"Everything went pretty smoothly, obviously, and the guys rose to pretty much every challenge this year," said Michael Callahan, who won his seventh national title as Washington head coach. "This was another one. They performed amazingly today."
The Huskies led all four finals for all or nearly all of the 2,000 meters. The varsity eight race, in which Cal finished almost exactly a length back of the Huskies, with the Bears' bow ball inches off the UW stern, may have been the most challenging.
"We knew we wanted to push early," said varsity stroke rower George Esau, who was named team captain for 2020 before the season was canceled, but returned for a fifth year in 2021. "It wasn't the best weather, so we wanted to control the race. It was a clean start and everyone was moving together really well, and we just took it home and closed it – no mercy throughout the piece and everyone did their job."
The Huskies finished the marquee race in 5:59.707 to Cal's 6:02.953. Dartmouth was third.
The poor conditions, both Friday and Saturday, didn't negatively affect the Washington men. "It's Husky weather," Esau contended, "so we were in our element here."
The second varsity eight race, for which Washington won its 30th Kennedy Challenge Cup, provided the widest winning margin for the Huskies, who finished in 6:15.425, nine-and-a-half seconds in front of second-place Dartmouth and another second ahead of third-place Cal.
"This shows all of the hard work, dedication and commitment we've put in since last year," said Steve Rosts, the 2021 team captain and second varsity eight stroke, referring to the entire team effort. "Everyone was fully committed to this season. It's fun to see it all pay off for every single guy in the boat house, even the guys who aren't here."
The Huskies opened the morning with a win in the third varsity eight, earning the team its 29th Stewards Cup. The top three in the 3V8+ final were the same as in the other two, with California providing a solid challenge to the Huskies and Dartmouth taking third. Washington rowed the course in 6:08.491, while Cal crossed in 6:11.308.
The varsity four grand final was the last event of the regatta, and Washington completed its team sweep with its most dominant victory of the day, spending the entire race comfortably in front of the seven-boat field. In the end, Cal narrowed the gap, but still finished second with open water between the Bears and Huskies. Washington's time was 6:59.499 with Cal crossing in 7:06.229. Boston University took third place, just in front of Dartmouth.
"We've been runners-up [in the varsity eight final] the last few years and I really think we focused on making sure we enjoyed the day-to-day process of it, and enjoyed being with each other," Callahan said. "We're really grateful that we were able to come back to campus and spend all these days together. This week, I was telling the guys, 'really enjoy this last part of it. We are on the top of the mountain and you gotta look around at the view.'"
All five Washington fifth-year rowers who opted to return after the 2020 season was canceled earned national titles in their final collegiate event. Esau was joined by bow seat Samuel Halbert in the varsity eight; both David Bridges and Felix Reinhold won in the second eight; and Austin Regier won his first IRA gold medal in the varsity four.
WASHINGTON IRA LINEUPS
Varsity Eight
Shell: Shoe DaWg
Cox: Max Schwartzkopff (Frankfurt am Main, Germany)
Stroke: George Esau (Long Lake, Minn./Orono)
7: Pieter Quinton (Portland, Ore./Grant/Harvard)
6: Jack Walkey (Victoria, B.C., Canada)
5: Peter Lancashire (Victoria, B.C., Canada)
4: Gert-Jan van Doorn (Leiden, The Netherlands)
3: Mattijs Holler (Vienna, Austria)
2: Adam Krol (Toronto, Ont., Canada)
Bow: Samuel Halbert (Redmond, Wash./Woodinville)
Second Varsity Eight
Shell: Chuck Holtz III
Cox: Zach Casler (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor)
Stroke: Steve Rosts (Jordon, Ont., Canada)
7: Ian Engstrom (Lincoln, Mass./Lincoln-Sudbury)
6: Felix Reinhold (Cape Town, South Africa)
5: Nils Vorberg (Hamburg, Germany)
4: David Bridges (Portland, Ore./Jesuit)
3: Paolo Bifulco (Portland, Ore./Lincoln)
2: Sebastian Ritter (Regensburg, Germany)
Bow: Chase Deitner (Perth Australia)
Third Varsity Eight
Shell: Chuck Holtz II
Cox: Adam Gold (Seattle, Wash./Seattle Academy)
Stroke: Jeffrey Thiers (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt)
7: Robert Pluijmert (Dieren, The Netherlands)
6: Max Mason (Redmond, Wash./Redmond)
5: Max Heid (Seattle, Wash./Seattle Prep)
4: Chase Barrows (Snohomish, Wash./Archbishop Murphy)
3: Jack Premzic (Davis, Calif./Davis Senior)
2: Pablo Matan (San Jose, Calif./Bellarmine Prep)
Bow: Blake Bradshaw (Auckland, New Zealand)
Varsity Four
Shell: Lou Gellermann
Stroke: Luca Unkovic (Paris, France/Redwood (Calif.))
3: Colin Kwiecinski (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier)
2: Austin Regier (Burien, Wash./Mount Rainier)
Bow: Abe Eligator (Larchmont, N.Y./Mamaroneck)
Cox: Thomas Wenk (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier)
Washington's IRA Championships Regatta History
Varsity Challenge Cup (MV8+) – 19
1923, 1924, 1926, 1936, 1937,
1940, 1941, 1948, 1950, 1970,
1997, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012,
2013, 2014, 2015, 2021
Kennedy Challenge Cup (M2V8+) – 30
1925, 1926, 1927, 1935, 1936,
1937, 1938, 1940, 1948, 1949,
1950, 1953, 1956, 1964, 1972,
1993, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2007,
2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012,
2013, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2021
Stewards Cup
(Given to MF8+ 1900-2016; M3V8+ 2017-) – 29
1931, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937,
1939, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950,
1951, 1953, 1961, 1969, 1997,
2001, 2002, 2006, 2009, 2010,
2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016,
2017, 2018, 2019, 2021
Eric W. Will Trophy (MV4+) – 13
2003, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2011,
2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016,
2017, 2019, 2021
Third Varsity Eight (M3V8+) – 1
2015
Freshman Four (MF4+) – 1
2008
James Ten Eyck Trophy (Men's Points Champion) – 17
1953, 1959, 1964, 1970, 2007,
2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012,
2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018
2019, 2021
The Huskies, who last won the championship in 2015, overcame rainy, cold (mid-40s) and windy conditions at Mercer Lake to earn the Varsity Challenge Cup thanks to its victory in the varsity eight grand final – the national championship race.
Washington also won the Kennedy Challenge Cup, the Stewards Cup and the Eric W. Will Trophy thanks to grand final victories in the second varsity eight, third varsity eight and the varsity four, respectively. Additionally, the Huskies retained the James Ten Eyck Memorial Trophy as overall points winner for the ninth straight time.
"Everything went pretty smoothly, obviously, and the guys rose to pretty much every challenge this year," said Michael Callahan, who won his seventh national title as Washington head coach. "This was another one. They performed amazingly today."
The Huskies led all four finals for all or nearly all of the 2,000 meters. The varsity eight race, in which Cal finished almost exactly a length back of the Huskies, with the Bears' bow ball inches off the UW stern, may have been the most challenging.
"We knew we wanted to push early," said varsity stroke rower George Esau, who was named team captain for 2020 before the season was canceled, but returned for a fifth year in 2021. "It wasn't the best weather, so we wanted to control the race. It was a clean start and everyone was moving together really well, and we just took it home and closed it – no mercy throughout the piece and everyone did their job."
The Huskies finished the marquee race in 5:59.707 to Cal's 6:02.953. Dartmouth was third.
The poor conditions, both Friday and Saturday, didn't negatively affect the Washington men. "It's Husky weather," Esau contended, "so we were in our element here."
The second varsity eight race, for which Washington won its 30th Kennedy Challenge Cup, provided the widest winning margin for the Huskies, who finished in 6:15.425, nine-and-a-half seconds in front of second-place Dartmouth and another second ahead of third-place Cal.
"This shows all of the hard work, dedication and commitment we've put in since last year," said Steve Rosts, the 2021 team captain and second varsity eight stroke, referring to the entire team effort. "Everyone was fully committed to this season. It's fun to see it all pay off for every single guy in the boat house, even the guys who aren't here."
The Huskies opened the morning with a win in the third varsity eight, earning the team its 29th Stewards Cup. The top three in the 3V8+ final were the same as in the other two, with California providing a solid challenge to the Huskies and Dartmouth taking third. Washington rowed the course in 6:08.491, while Cal crossed in 6:11.308.
The varsity four grand final was the last event of the regatta, and Washington completed its team sweep with its most dominant victory of the day, spending the entire race comfortably in front of the seven-boat field. In the end, Cal narrowed the gap, but still finished second with open water between the Bears and Huskies. Washington's time was 6:59.499 with Cal crossing in 7:06.229. Boston University took third place, just in front of Dartmouth.
"We've been runners-up [in the varsity eight final] the last few years and I really think we focused on making sure we enjoyed the day-to-day process of it, and enjoyed being with each other," Callahan said. "We're really grateful that we were able to come back to campus and spend all these days together. This week, I was telling the guys, 'really enjoy this last part of it. We are on the top of the mountain and you gotta look around at the view.'"
All five Washington fifth-year rowers who opted to return after the 2020 season was canceled earned national titles in their final collegiate event. Esau was joined by bow seat Samuel Halbert in the varsity eight; both David Bridges and Felix Reinhold won in the second eight; and Austin Regier won his first IRA gold medal in the varsity four.
WASHINGTON IRA LINEUPS
Varsity Eight
Shell: Shoe DaWg
Cox: Max Schwartzkopff (Frankfurt am Main, Germany)
Stroke: George Esau (Long Lake, Minn./Orono)
7: Pieter Quinton (Portland, Ore./Grant/Harvard)
6: Jack Walkey (Victoria, B.C., Canada)
5: Peter Lancashire (Victoria, B.C., Canada)
4: Gert-Jan van Doorn (Leiden, The Netherlands)
3: Mattijs Holler (Vienna, Austria)
2: Adam Krol (Toronto, Ont., Canada)
Bow: Samuel Halbert (Redmond, Wash./Woodinville)
Second Varsity Eight
Shell: Chuck Holtz III
Cox: Zach Casler (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor)
Stroke: Steve Rosts (Jordon, Ont., Canada)
7: Ian Engstrom (Lincoln, Mass./Lincoln-Sudbury)
6: Felix Reinhold (Cape Town, South Africa)
5: Nils Vorberg (Hamburg, Germany)
4: David Bridges (Portland, Ore./Jesuit)
3: Paolo Bifulco (Portland, Ore./Lincoln)
2: Sebastian Ritter (Regensburg, Germany)
Bow: Chase Deitner (Perth Australia)
Third Varsity Eight
Shell: Chuck Holtz II
Cox: Adam Gold (Seattle, Wash./Seattle Academy)
Stroke: Jeffrey Thiers (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt)
7: Robert Pluijmert (Dieren, The Netherlands)
6: Max Mason (Redmond, Wash./Redmond)
5: Max Heid (Seattle, Wash./Seattle Prep)
4: Chase Barrows (Snohomish, Wash./Archbishop Murphy)
3: Jack Premzic (Davis, Calif./Davis Senior)
2: Pablo Matan (San Jose, Calif./Bellarmine Prep)
Bow: Blake Bradshaw (Auckland, New Zealand)
Varsity Four
Shell: Lou Gellermann
Stroke: Luca Unkovic (Paris, France/Redwood (Calif.))
3: Colin Kwiecinski (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier)
2: Austin Regier (Burien, Wash./Mount Rainier)
Bow: Abe Eligator (Larchmont, N.Y./Mamaroneck)
Cox: Thomas Wenk (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier)
Washington's IRA Championships Regatta History
Varsity Challenge Cup (MV8+) – 19
1923, 1924, 1926, 1936, 1937,
1940, 1941, 1948, 1950, 1970,
1997, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012,
2013, 2014, 2015, 2021
Kennedy Challenge Cup (M2V8+) – 30
1925, 1926, 1927, 1935, 1936,
1937, 1938, 1940, 1948, 1949,
1950, 1953, 1956, 1964, 1972,
1993, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2007,
2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012,
2013, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2021
Stewards Cup
(Given to MF8+ 1900-2016; M3V8+ 2017-) – 29
1931, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937,
1939, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950,
1951, 1953, 1961, 1969, 1997,
2001, 2002, 2006, 2009, 2010,
2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016,
2017, 2018, 2019, 2021
Eric W. Will Trophy (MV4+) – 13
2003, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2011,
2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016,
2017, 2019, 2021
Third Varsity Eight (M3V8+) – 1
2015
Freshman Four (MF4+) – 1
2008
James Ten Eyck Trophy (Men's Points Champion) – 17
1953, 1959, 1964, 1970, 2007,
2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012,
2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018
2019, 2021
Players Mentioned
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