REDWOOD SHORES, Calif. – The No. 2-ranked Washington men's rowing team won three races against No. 11 Stanford and another vs. UC Davis Saturday at the Stanford Invitational.

 

The Huskies continued their unbeaten start to the season as they've now won all 17 of their intercollegiate races, including three wins over No. 13 Wisconsin and another over Orange Coast College in Friday's Stanford Invitational races.

 

Saturday, the Huskies beat Stanford in varsity eight and second varsity eight races, as well as in a race featuring the Husky freshmen vs. a Cardinal third varsity eight. Washington's third varsity boat also beat UC Davis' top crew. With nearly perfect conditions, all four Husky boats cut significant time off of their previous day's results, ranging from 14 to 22 seconds faster than their finishes vs. Wisconsin.

 

With the win in the first varsity eight race, the Huskies won the newly-minted Andrea and Everett Peter Paup Cup, named in honor of former UW and Stanford coxswain Pete Paup, a U.S. Marine veteran who finished second in the coxed pair at the 1956 U.S. Olympic Trials and went on to become chairman and president of Manson Construction Company. The Paup Cup will hereafter go to the winner of the Stanford-Washington men's dual.

 

"It's kind of a new crew," head coach Michael Callahan said, referring to the varsity eight. "This is really the first 2K we've done with it. We've taken a lot of steps all through the year, piece by piece.

 

"We have a lot of growth to go and a lot of pieces to add," he continued. "We're being really patient with this crew and taking our time. The guys are starting to see the benefits of all of their hard work."

 

The Huskies began Saturday's racing with the freshmen eight beating the Cardinal 3V8 by about nine seconds, winning with a time of 5:54.3 to Stanford's 6:03.4. The Husky freshmen were coxed by Julia Bergquist, with Seattleite Carsten Rossen manning the stroke.

 

Washington's third varsity eight, with Lia Roberds coxing and Eric Benca in the stroke seat, then won a comfortable victory over UC Davis' men's varsity eight, winning by nearly 30 seconds (5:48.6 to 6:16.9).

 

Washington's second varsity, coxed by Rielly Milne and stroked by Dutch freshman Bram Schwarz, eight also earned a clear victory in its race against Stanford, opening a large lead in the early-going and rowing to a 35-second victory over the Cardinal, 5:44.2 to 6:19.7.

 

In the Huskies' final competition of the weekend, the varsity eight, under the guidance of senior coxswain Stuart Sim and sophomore stroke rower Philipp Nonnast, were in a tight race through the first 500 meters, leading by just a couple of seats at that point. But Washington moved ahead in the second 500 and stretched an open-water lead at 1000 meters into an 18-second win in the end. Washington finished in 5:35.8, ahead of Stanford in 5:53.6.

 

Next Saturday, the Husky men host top-ranked California in the 106th Cal Dual. The regatta will feature the No. 1 and No. 2-ranked men's and women's programs as the Husky women are currently atop the rankings, with Cal second.

 

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.