Rowing is one of the oldest sports at the University of Washington. It began in 1899 with support from the local business community. In 1903, Washington entered its first intercollegiate race and defeated California, which started the storied rivalry. From this beginning, UW crews became the champions in the nation, winning the Gold Medal in the Olympics in 1936, as told in the #1 New York Times–bestselling story, 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.