Sunday, May 31
Gold River, Calif.
8:00 AM PT
University of Washington
vs
IRA National Championships
Photo by: Scott Eklund / Red Box Pictures
UW Claims 22nd IRA National Championship With Comeback Victory
May 31, 2026 | Men's Rowing
GOLD RIVER, Calif. – The No. 1-ranked Washington men's varsity eight are National Champions for the 22nd time in school history, and it took all the Huskies had to earn it.
The UW men, who led Intercollegiate Rowing Association varsity eight grand final Sunday at Lake Natoma at both 500 and 1,000 meters, entered the final 500 of the 2,000-meter race trailing old rival California. Over the final stretch of the race, the Huskies managed to catch the Golden Bears and surge to a two-seat victory.
Washington first won the IRA National Championship more than a century ago on the Hudson River in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., in 1923, but 11 of the Huskies' 22 titles have come in the last 19 seasons, including 10 under current head coach Michael Callahan. Only Cornell, with 26 IRA championships (13 of which came prior to World War I), has won more than Washington.
"That's as good as it gets," said Callahan. "I don't know if I've ever coached a faster boat or a more cohesive crew. When you're a coach, you want to see your guys put it all together in the biggest moments and that's what they did.
"This win brought me a lot of joy – that's the word for it," Callahan continued. "There are a lot of seniors in that crew and they've put in a lot of work. They have the intangibles and they've won a lot of very close races. I told them last night I'm sad I won't be able to watch them row anymore."
Washington also earned the James Ten Eyck Memorial Memorial Trophy for overall points, an award based on finishes in the three eights finals. It's the 20th Ten Eyck Trophy in UW history, most by any college, and more remarkably, the 16th in the last 19 years.
The Huskies' third varsity eight also won its grand final, while the second varsity eight earned the silver medal.
In the national championship varsity eight final, the Huskies, Princeton and Harvard were all within a deck length of one another at 500 meters, with Cal sixth at that marker. By 1,000 meters, Harvard and Princeton were no more than a seat back of the Huskies, with the Bears moving quickly into fourth and gaining quickly on the leaders
By 1,500 meters, California had moved to the front of the pack, rowing through the favorites and passing that buoy with a lead of more than one second with only 500 to go.
The Golden Bears held the advantage until maybe the final 100 meters of the race, when UW clawed back the lead, crossing the finish line two seats and 1.059 seconds in front to earn the Varsity Challenge Cup and the national title for the third year in a row.
Washington's winning time was 5:37.493, while Cal's was 5:38.552. Princeton held off Harvard for third place.
"This was such a close field," Callahan noted. "The Class of 2026, at a bunch of universities, was very deep and had a lot of experience over the last four years. Everyone seemed to be at a four-year peak.
"I've seen so much in practice and in races this year," Callahan said about the final portion of the final," that I was sure that we had the ability to come back and pull it off. It was an impressive move from Cal, but we executed perfectly. It doesn't get any better than that."
Washington entered the second varsity eight grand final as the two-time defending champion and top seed in that race category, though it was Princeton that had put down the best time in Saturday's heats.
Washington hung back in the early going, as Princeton and Harvard completed the first 500 meters in the top-two spots. At 1,000 meters, Syracuse has moved a hair in front of the UW crew and into third position.
As the crews headed into the final 500 meters of the 2,000-meter course, Washington started to turn up the heat, rowing back through Syracuse and, eventually Harvard. But the Huskies couldn't quite catch Princeton, falling to the Tigers by just over one second – about a one-seat advantage at the line.
Princeton's winning time was 5:42.557, while Washington crossed the line in 5:43.612. Harvard took the bronze, in 5:44.273.
The surprise of the regatta may have come in the third varsity eight grand final, where previously unbeaten California was favored, alongside Harvard.
However, 500 meters into the race, it was Princeton that led the way, with Cal, Harvard and Washington trailing, in that order. In the second 500, though, Washington rowed through all three of those opponents to take the lead, with just over one second separating the top five crews.
In the third quarter of the race, the Dawgs opened the lead, with Harvard running second. The Crimson, who twice beat the Husky 3V in Sarasota at the start of the season and again in the IRA semifinal on Saturday, gave UW nearly all it could take, but the UW shell crossed the finish line one seat ahead, winning with a time of 5:44.335.
Harvard was second, in 5:45.018, and Princeton won the bronze, at 5:46.395, nearly two seconds in front of Cal.
"We kept believing they could get it done," Callahan said of the third eight. "They kept having all these close losses and it was just going to take a little more.
"I was so happy for those guys," he concluded. "The seniors in that boat – Finn Griskauskas, Ewan Morrow and Marc Tennesen – came through. They showed a lot of confidence."
With that victory, the Huskies won the Stewards Cup (given to the freshman eight winner from 1900-2016, and to the 3V8+ champions since) for the 31st time in program history.
The UW men's program has already announced its intention to participate in the Henley Royal Regatta this summer in England. Details will come at a later date.
For news, scores, highlights and more, download the Go Huskies app on your mobile device. Follow @washingtrowing on Instagram, Threads, Facebook and TikTok; and @UW_Rowing on X, and subscribe to UW Athletics on YouTube for the latest on the Dawgs.
WASHINGTON LINEUPS
VARSITY EIGHT
Shell: Austin J. Regier
Coxswain – Nikita Jacobs
Stroke – Cameron Tasker
7 – Lucas Andersen
6 – Giuseppe Bellomo
5 – Sam Ford
4 – Ben Shortt
3 – Lyle Donovan
2 – Ryan Smith
Bow – Klas Ole Lass
SECOND VARSITY EIGHT
Shell: ShoeDaWg
Coxswain – Anjali Pamurthy
Stroke – Ryan Martin
7 – Ethan Walsh
6 – Devan Godfrey
5 – Marley King Smith
4 – Rory McDonnell
3 – Povilas Juskevicius
2 – Oliver Leach
Bow – Hector Guimet
THIRD VARSITY EIGHT
Shell: Brett "Big Red" Reisinger
Coxswain – Connor Eacker
Stroke – Byron Richards
7 – Zach Brownlee
6 – Finn Griskauskas
5 – Marc Tennesen
4 – Matteo Belgeri
3 – Ewan Morrow
2 – Colin Phariss
Bow – Dimitri Chamitoff
VARSITY FOUR
Shell: George Yeoman Pocock
Stroke – Tobias Bosnes
3 – Luke Collins
2 – Callan Ogilvie
Bow – Colin Seng
Coxswain – Tessa Adams
WASHINGTON'S ALL-TIME IRA TROPHIES
Varsity Challenge Cups (MV8+/National Championship) – 22
1923, 1924, 1926, 1936, 1937,
1940, 1941, 1948, 1950, 1970,
1997, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012,
2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2024,
2025, 2026
Kennedy Challenge Cups (M2V8+) – 33
1925, 1926, 1927, 1935, 1936,
1937, 1938, 1940, 1948, 1949,
1950, 1953, 1956, 1964, 1972,
1993, 1995, 1997, 2004, 2005,
2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011,
2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018,
2021, 2024, 2025
Stewards Cups
(Given to MF8+ 1900-2016; M3V8+ 2017-) – 31
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, 2024,
2026
Eric W. Will Trophies (MV4+) – 15
2003, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2011,
2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016,
2017, 2019, 2021, 2024, 2025
Third Varsity Eight (M3V8+) – 1
2015
Freshman Four (MF4+) – 1
2008
Ten Eyck Trophies (Men's Points Champion) – 20
1953, 1959, 1964, 1970, 2007,
2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012,
2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018
2019, 2021, 2024, 2025, 2026
All-Time IRA National Championships
(1895-present; not awarded in 1917-19, 1933, 1942-46, 2020)
Cornell – 26
Washington – 22
California – 19
Navy – 12
Pennsylvania – 12
Wisconsin – 12
Brown – 7
Syracuse – 6
Columbia – 4
Princeton – 3
Harvard – 3
Yale – 3
Northeastern – 2
Dartmouth – 1
(Notes: Two championships were held in 1897; Cornell won both. In 1992, Dartmouth, Navy and Penn finished in a three-way dead heat for first place. All three were awarded a championship in the only tie in IRA varsity eight grand finals history.)
All-Time James Ten Eyck Trophy Wins
(1952-present, not awarded in 1954 or 2020)
Washington – 20
Wisconsin – 14
Navy – 12
Pennsylvania – 9
Cornell – 8
California – 3
Harvard – 3
Princeton – 2
Brown – 2
Yale – 1
The UW men, who led Intercollegiate Rowing Association varsity eight grand final Sunday at Lake Natoma at both 500 and 1,000 meters, entered the final 500 of the 2,000-meter race trailing old rival California. Over the final stretch of the race, the Huskies managed to catch the Golden Bears and surge to a two-seat victory.
Washington first won the IRA National Championship more than a century ago on the Hudson River in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., in 1923, but 11 of the Huskies' 22 titles have come in the last 19 seasons, including 10 under current head coach Michael Callahan. Only Cornell, with 26 IRA championships (13 of which came prior to World War I), has won more than Washington.
"That's as good as it gets," said Callahan. "I don't know if I've ever coached a faster boat or a more cohesive crew. When you're a coach, you want to see your guys put it all together in the biggest moments and that's what they did.
"This win brought me a lot of joy – that's the word for it," Callahan continued. "There are a lot of seniors in that crew and they've put in a lot of work. They have the intangibles and they've won a lot of very close races. I told them last night I'm sad I won't be able to watch them row anymore."
Washington also earned the James Ten Eyck Memorial Memorial Trophy for overall points, an award based on finishes in the three eights finals. It's the 20th Ten Eyck Trophy in UW history, most by any college, and more remarkably, the 16th in the last 19 years.
The Huskies' third varsity eight also won its grand final, while the second varsity eight earned the silver medal.
In the national championship varsity eight final, the Huskies, Princeton and Harvard were all within a deck length of one another at 500 meters, with Cal sixth at that marker. By 1,000 meters, Harvard and Princeton were no more than a seat back of the Huskies, with the Bears moving quickly into fourth and gaining quickly on the leaders
By 1,500 meters, California had moved to the front of the pack, rowing through the favorites and passing that buoy with a lead of more than one second with only 500 to go.
The Golden Bears held the advantage until maybe the final 100 meters of the race, when UW clawed back the lead, crossing the finish line two seats and 1.059 seconds in front to earn the Varsity Challenge Cup and the national title for the third year in a row.
Washington's winning time was 5:37.493, while Cal's was 5:38.552. Princeton held off Harvard for third place.
"This was such a close field," Callahan noted. "The Class of 2026, at a bunch of universities, was very deep and had a lot of experience over the last four years. Everyone seemed to be at a four-year peak.
"I've seen so much in practice and in races this year," Callahan said about the final portion of the final," that I was sure that we had the ability to come back and pull it off. It was an impressive move from Cal, but we executed perfectly. It doesn't get any better than that."
Washington entered the second varsity eight grand final as the two-time defending champion and top seed in that race category, though it was Princeton that had put down the best time in Saturday's heats.
Washington hung back in the early going, as Princeton and Harvard completed the first 500 meters in the top-two spots. At 1,000 meters, Syracuse has moved a hair in front of the UW crew and into third position.
As the crews headed into the final 500 meters of the 2,000-meter course, Washington started to turn up the heat, rowing back through Syracuse and, eventually Harvard. But the Huskies couldn't quite catch Princeton, falling to the Tigers by just over one second – about a one-seat advantage at the line.
Princeton's winning time was 5:42.557, while Washington crossed the line in 5:43.612. Harvard took the bronze, in 5:44.273.
The surprise of the regatta may have come in the third varsity eight grand final, where previously unbeaten California was favored, alongside Harvard.
However, 500 meters into the race, it was Princeton that led the way, with Cal, Harvard and Washington trailing, in that order. In the second 500, though, Washington rowed through all three of those opponents to take the lead, with just over one second separating the top five crews.
In the third quarter of the race, the Dawgs opened the lead, with Harvard running second. The Crimson, who twice beat the Husky 3V in Sarasota at the start of the season and again in the IRA semifinal on Saturday, gave UW nearly all it could take, but the UW shell crossed the finish line one seat ahead, winning with a time of 5:44.335.
Harvard was second, in 5:45.018, and Princeton won the bronze, at 5:46.395, nearly two seconds in front of Cal.
"We kept believing they could get it done," Callahan said of the third eight. "They kept having all these close losses and it was just going to take a little more.
"I was so happy for those guys," he concluded. "The seniors in that boat – Finn Griskauskas, Ewan Morrow and Marc Tennesen – came through. They showed a lot of confidence."
With that victory, the Huskies won the Stewards Cup (given to the freshman eight winner from 1900-2016, and to the 3V8+ champions since) for the 31st time in program history.
The UW men's program has already announced its intention to participate in the Henley Royal Regatta this summer in England. Details will come at a later date.
For news, scores, highlights and more, download the Go Huskies app on your mobile device. Follow @washingtrowing on Instagram, Threads, Facebook and TikTok; and @UW_Rowing on X, and subscribe to UW Athletics on YouTube for the latest on the Dawgs.
WASHINGTON LINEUPS
VARSITY EIGHT
Shell: Austin J. Regier
Coxswain – Nikita Jacobs
Stroke – Cameron Tasker
7 – Lucas Andersen
6 – Giuseppe Bellomo
5 – Sam Ford
4 – Ben Shortt
3 – Lyle Donovan
2 – Ryan Smith
Bow – Klas Ole Lass
SECOND VARSITY EIGHT
Shell: ShoeDaWg
Coxswain – Anjali Pamurthy
Stroke – Ryan Martin
7 – Ethan Walsh
6 – Devan Godfrey
5 – Marley King Smith
4 – Rory McDonnell
3 – Povilas Juskevicius
2 – Oliver Leach
Bow – Hector Guimet
THIRD VARSITY EIGHT
Shell: Brett "Big Red" Reisinger
Coxswain – Connor Eacker
Stroke – Byron Richards
7 – Zach Brownlee
6 – Finn Griskauskas
5 – Marc Tennesen
4 – Matteo Belgeri
3 – Ewan Morrow
2 – Colin Phariss
Bow – Dimitri Chamitoff
VARSITY FOUR
Shell: George Yeoman Pocock
Stroke – Tobias Bosnes
3 – Luke Collins
2 – Callan Ogilvie
Bow – Colin Seng
Coxswain – Tessa Adams
WASHINGTON'S ALL-TIME IRA TROPHIES
Varsity Challenge Cups (MV8+/National Championship) – 22
1923, 1924, 1926, 1936, 1937,
1940, 1941, 1948, 1950, 1970,
1997, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012,
2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2024,
2025, 2026
Kennedy Challenge Cups (M2V8+) – 33
1925, 1926, 1927, 1935, 1936,
1937, 1938, 1940, 1948, 1949,
1950, 1953, 1956, 1964, 1972,
1993, 1995, 1997, 2004, 2005,
2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011,
2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018,
2021, 2024, 2025
Stewards Cups
(Given to MF8+ 1900-2016; M3V8+ 2017-) – 31
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, 2024,
2026
Eric W. Will Trophies (MV4+) – 15
2003, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2011,
2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016,
2017, 2019, 2021, 2024, 2025
Third Varsity Eight (M3V8+) – 1
2015
Freshman Four (MF4+) – 1
2008
Ten Eyck Trophies (Men's Points Champion) – 20
1953, 1959, 1964, 1970, 2007,
2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012,
2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018
2019, 2021, 2024, 2025, 2026
All-Time IRA National Championships
(1895-present; not awarded in 1917-19, 1933, 1942-46, 2020)
Cornell – 26
Washington – 22
California – 19
Navy – 12
Pennsylvania – 12
Wisconsin – 12
Brown – 7
Syracuse – 6
Columbia – 4
Princeton – 3
Harvard – 3
Yale – 3
Northeastern – 2
Dartmouth – 1
(Notes: Two championships were held in 1897; Cornell won both. In 1992, Dartmouth, Navy and Penn finished in a three-way dead heat for first place. All three were awarded a championship in the only tie in IRA varsity eight grand finals history.)
All-Time James Ten Eyck Trophy Wins
(1952-present, not awarded in 1954 or 2020)
Washington – 20
Wisconsin – 14
Navy – 12
Pennsylvania – 9
Cornell – 8
California – 3
Harvard – 3
Princeton – 2
Brown – 2
Yale – 1
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