SEATTLE – The Washington Rowing program could not have asked for a better result in the 30th Annual Windermere Cup, as both the men's and women's rowing teams took home the Windermere Cup and the Erickson Cascade Cup for their respective programs. The sun was shining down on the Montlake Cut and the Husky rowers as UW boats won all 10 collegiate races.
The UW men won their 22nd Windermere Cup, breaking a two-year drought by fending off Stanford and the Russian National Team to take back the trophy in stylish fashion. After falling to strong crews from Great Britain in 2014 and New Zealand in 2015, the Huskies did not disappoint the thousands of fans in attendance on the Montlake Cut, leading most of the way to beat the seocnd-place Cardinal and third-place Russia.
"The rowers are always so amped here with all of the fans and all of the energy," said Michael Callahan, UW men's head coach. "The Cut was as full as I have ever seen it here. This is a great showcase for rowing. It is a great place in Seattle and we are stepping it up again and capturing momentum of the spotlight that rowing has right now with 'The Boys in the Boat'. I feel like this is a great venue, so we were glad that our rowers were able to come through."
The women's win marked their 10th straight Windermere Cup victory, also their 22nd overall. In a race that featured Cambridge University and the University of San Diego, the Huskies pulled away after an close first 1,000 meters of racing to a comfortable win, with USD in second ahead of Cambridge.
"The start was a little slower than I thought for our crew and I give that to San Diego and Cambridge, who both had a very good start," said UW women's interim head coach Conor Bullis. "We've usually been really quick in the first five or six strokes, but it took us a little bit to get out there, so it was good competition there right off the start. In the end when they got in their rhythm, it was really good base rhythm for them. I thought it was a good step for them today, but they still need to go faster at Pac-12.
"A win is always great," Bullis added. "I think the amount of people that were here today was amazing; I think it is just phenomenal."
Windermere Cup – Men's Varsity 8+
The Men's Windermere Cup race featured the Washington men's varsity eight, along with Stanford and Russia. Stanford got out to a fast start, leading the race at the 500-meter mark. But the Husky men, coxed by sophomore Rielly Milne and stroked by freshman Philipp Nonnast, had a second-half push to pass the Stanford men by the 1,000-meter mark. The UW men continued to build on their lead, opening up to a full boat length lead by the 1,500-meter mark. They continued their fast pace to finish the race on top with a time of 5:41.627. Stanford finished in second place with a time of 5:48.131, with Russia finishing at 5:58.385
Windermere Cup – Women's Varsity 8+
The Women's Windermere Cup race featured the Washington women's varsity eight, racing against Cambridge University and the University of San Diego. All three boats broke out of the start quickly. With senior captain Danielle Olson in the two seat, the UW women continued to push their pace, finishing the race with open water over San Diego. UW ended with a time of 6:25.902, with San Diego (6:34.266) in second and Cambridge (6:44.222) third.
Erickson Cascade Cup – Men's Second Varsity 8+
The Men's Erickson Cascade Cup, a race featuring the Huskies, Stanford, and Oregon State, turned out to be a great one. The Washington men, stroked by sophomore Sam Goertz, led the entire race. In the first 1,000 meters, Stanford and Oregon State held pace with the Huskies, staying within five seconds, but the Huskies continued to push and finished the race with an open water lead. The UW finished with a time of 5:53.428. Stanford finished with a 6:02.211 time and Oregon State finished at 6:11.484.
Erickson Cascade Cup – Women's Second Varsity 8+
The Women's Erickson Cascade Cup featured two Washington boats, along with San Diego and Western Washington. The Washington A boat, coxed by junior Marlow Mizer and stroked by Holy Names Academy product Marlee Blue, finished on top with a time of 6:30.907. The Washington B boat, stroked by sophomore Anna Porteous, finished in second place with a time of 6:41.931. San Diego (6:50.258) finished third, while Western Washington (7:17.718) finished fourth
Men's Freshman 8+/Third Varsity 8+
A pair of UW boats took on Oregon State and Stanford. The Washington A boat, with freshman Ari Cohen in the bow, finished ahead of the Washington B boat, with Michael Goodey in the stroke seat. With a time of 5:51.252, the Washington A boat finished on top of the Washington B boat (5:58.838), Oregon State (6:14.599), and Stanford (6:31.798).
Women's Third Varsity 8+
With Jayln Stinardo in the stroke seat, the Washington women's third varsity led all splits to take the fifth victory of the day for the Huskies. They finished with a time of 6:50.875, beating Portland (7:05.059), Seattle U (7:14.673), and Western Washington (7:35.119).
Men's College Open 8+
The men's college open eight race featured the Huskies, Notre Dame, Oregon State, and Puget Sound. The Husky men, coxed by Seattle native Emmiline Nordale, got off to a great start, holding a six-second lead at the 500-meter mark. They continued their fast pace, leading all splits and finishing with a time of 6:00.034. Notre Dame finished in second with a time of 6:29.182, with Oregon State finishing less than a second behind (6:26.754). Puget Sound finished fourth with a time of 6:27.646
Women's College Open 8+
The women's college open eight race featured two Husky boats and Seattle U and Pacific Lutheran. The Washington A boat, stroked by freshman Marlee Hopkins, finished with an open water lead with a time of 6:55.077. Pacific Lutheran finished behind them with a time of 7:06.571. The Washington B boat, with freshman Emma Bennett in the stroke seat, finished third with a time of 7:19.062. Seattle U finished fourth at 7:52.194.
Women's Varsity 4+
The women's varisty four race featured Washington, San Diego, the University of Victoria, and Portland. Stroked by junior Vanessa Whattam, the Husky women led all splits, winning in open water over San Diego. UW finished with a time of 7:20.502, while San Diego had a time of 7:36.197. The University of Victoria finished in third place with a time of 7:42.553, and Portland finished fourth at 8:21.097.
Men's Open 4+
The first college race of the day featured three Washington boats and Seattle U. The A boat, stroked by junior Philip Walczak, finished on top with a time of 6:38.041. The B boat came in second with a time of 6:43.581. Coming in third was the C boat (6:55.513). Seattle U finished in fourth place at 7:17.567.
The Husky men and women will travel to Northern California next week for the Pacific Coast Rowing Championships and the Pac-12 Championships in Rancho Cordova. The Dawgs will travel nine boats to California to take on the best competition on the west coast.
Follow Washington Rowing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UW_Rowing 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.
