HENDERSON, Nev. – The No. 1 Washington women's rowing team beat No. 5 Michigan and No. 6 Ohio State in the varsity eight and second varsity eight Saturday morning on Lake Las Vegas.
 
The Huskies, competing at the venue for the second time this season, rowed to victories in the two eights races while finishing second in the first and second varsity fours.
 
Michigan got off to the best start of the three crews in the varsity eight race, but by the 250-meter point, the Huskies had moved in front. Coxed by Marley Avritt and stroked for the first time this season by Tabea Schendekehl, Washington added to its lead and the race for second and third between to the two rivals from the Big Ten became the focal point. The boats were nearly level at 1,000 meters before Ohio State moved in front in the third 500.
 
Going into the final quarter of the race, the Huskies maintained a boat-length lead over the Buckeyes, with Michigan falling behind them by a half a length of open water. Washington finished with a time of 6:18.84, just over four seconds ahead of OSU (6:22.89). Michigan was third with a time of 6:28.71.

"Thanks to Ohio State and Michigan for coming to Vegas to race us," Husky head coach Yasmin Farooq said afterwards. "It's so valuable to race strong opponents from outside of our region. We had some new combinations on the water today and It was awesome to see such a high level of focus. We pride ourselves on having interchangeable parts and I truly felt the team effort today.

"We were fortunate to have excellent racing conditions when regattas across the country were experiencing weather delays," she added.

The second varsity eight race was the closest of the day, especially with regard to second and third places. Senior coxswain Amanda Durkin and stroke rower Klara Grube led the crew from half a length back early on, closing the gap until the UW moved in front just after the midway point. The Huskies held off sprints from both crews as OSU took up the gap on its rival.
 
The UW 2V earned the victory with a time of 6:25.94, but race officials needed to review the film to determine second place. In the end, the Wolverines finished with a time of 6:27.51, just eight one-hundredths of a second in front of the Buckeyes (6:27.58).
 
The final race of the day was the first varsity fours race. Michigan took the lead from the start and held a half-length lead through most of the 2,000 meters. Washington closed over the final 250, but the Wolverines won in 7:05.68, edging the Huskies' time of 7:07.53. Ohio State finished another 10 seconds back in third place.
 
In a race that included only the Huskies and Buckeyes, Ohio State picked up a win over the UW in the two teams' second varsity four. OSU got out to the lead from the start and held a half-length advantage at the 1,000-meter mark. The Buckeyes extended that lead through the third 500 and finished with a time of 7:20.60, about three seconds ahead of the Husky four (7:23.92).
 
Next Up
The UW women return home to face No. 2-ranked California in the annual Cal Dual next Saturday, April 27, on Montlake Cut. The following Saturday, May 4, the UW hosts the annual Windermere Cup/Opening Day Regatta.
 
Washington Lineups
 
Varsity Eight
Cox: Marley Avritt (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor)
Stroke: Tabea Schendekehl (Dortmund, Germany)
7: Marlee Blue (Seattle, Wash./Holy Names Academy)
6: Sofia Asoumanaki (Athens, Greece)
5: Mackenna Cameron (Seattle, Wash./Chief Sealth Int'l.)
4: Jennifer Wren (Seattle Wash./Bishop Blanchet)
3: Carmela Pappalardo (Salerno, Italy)
2: Teal Cohen (Dallas, Texas/The Hockaday School)
Bow: Lark Skov (Steamboat Springs, Colo./Steamboat Springs)
 
Second Varsity Eight
Cox: Amanda Durkin (Hingham, Mass./Hingham)
Stroke: Klara Grube (Lübeck, Germany)
7: Kieanna Stephens (Vancouver, B.C., Canada)
6: Holly Drapp (Tampa, Fla./Strawberry Crest)
5: Holly Dunford (Tadworth, U.K.)
4: Molly Gallaher (Snoqualmie, Wash./Skyline)
3: Adele Likin (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt)
2: Skylar Jacobson (Lakewood, Wash./Steilacoom)
Bow: Emma Vagen (Kent, Wash./Kentwood)
 
Varsity Four
Stroke: McKenna Bryant (Kent, Wash./Kennedy Catholic)
3: Denise Devlyn (Austin, Texas/St. Stephen's Episcopal)
2: Marguerite Trost (Nashville, Tenn./Harpeth Hall School)
Bow: Jenna Phillips (Dayton, Wash./Dayton)
Cox: Isabella Corriere (Montclair, N.J./Montclair)
 
Second Varsity Four
Stroke: Dimitra Tsamopoulou (Athens, Greece)
3: Taylor Buell (Olympia, Wash./Capital)
2: Ellie Bruce (Snoqualmie, Wash./Mount Si)
Bow: Ava Trogus (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park and River Forest)
Cox: Dana Brooks (Tiburon, Calif./Redwood)
 
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.