No. 1 UW Men's Rowing Wins All Races At Cal/Stanford Invitational

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – The No. 1 Washington men's rowing team won all three of its races Saturday morning at Redwood Shores, beating Stanford in the first and second varsity eights, and Wisconsin in the third varsity eight.

The UW races were part of a larger regatta, the Cal/Stanford Invitational, which featured a number of West Coast varsity programs. With the Huskies' varsity eight win over the Cardinal, Washington retained the Andrea and Everett Peter Paup Cup, named for former UW and Stanford coxswain Everett "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. Paup passed away in December, 2024.

In the varsity eight race, with the Cup on the line, Washington rowed to the early lead, but Stanford presented a challenge, remaining in contact through the first half of the course. In the third 500, though, the Huskies increased its advantage to an open-water lead.

The Cardinal closed the gap slightly, but Washington won by about a full length, in 5:35.4, a little over three seconds faster than Stanford (5:38.5).

The University of Washington men's rowing team competes against Stanford & Wisconsin at Redwood Shores in Redwood, CA on April 5 2025. (Photography by Scott Eklund/Red Box Pictures)

The University of Washington men's rowing team competes against Stanford & Wisconsin at Redwood Shores in Redwood, CA on April 5 2025. (Photography by Scott Eklund/Red Box Pictures)

About a half hour later, Stanford's second varsity eight gave the Huskies' JV crew a run for its money, racing neck-and-neck through the first third of the course. By the time the two shells passed under the bridge at the halfway point, however, Washington had a lead of about seven seats.

The Huskies increased their lead over the last part of the race and won by open water, with a time of 5:36.8. Stanford crossed the line in 5:43.1.

"We had some fast, hard-fought, head-to-head racing today with Stanford in the varsity eight today to win the Paup Trophy," said UW head coach Michael Callahan. "The second varsity race was really well executed and showcased our depth in the top two eights."

The University of Washington men's rowing team competes against Stanford & Wisconsin at Redwood Shores in Redwood, CA on April 5 2025. (Photography by Scott Eklund/Red Box Pictures)

In UW's final race of the morning, the third varsity eight took on the third eight from Wisconsin. The Huskies grabbed a significant lead from the start and rowed well ahead fo the Badgers for nearly all of the 2,000 meters.

Washington won the 3V8+ race with a time of 5:38.9, several lengths of open water ahead of the Wisconsin eight (5:58.8).

"Special thanks Wisconsin, our Big Ten rival in the third varsity, for agreeing to race this boat class today," Callahan added. "Stanford wasn't able to field a boat due to medical reason. The third varsity improved a lot this week and had a nice rebound from the race in Sarasota last week.

The University of Washington men's rowing team competes against Stanford & Wisconsin at Redwood Shores in Redwood, CA on April 5 2025. (Photography by Scott Eklund/Red Box Pictures)

"The Bay Area is the second stop on our three-week away schedule to start 2025. Next week, we head to Vancouver [Wash.] to race Oregon State," Callahan concluded. "We are focusing on improving each week as we head to The Dual on April 26th on Montlake."