SEATTLE – College rowing's most picturesque setting hosts the sport's most well-attended regatta as the Windermere Cup returns for its 30th year Saturday, May 7, on the Montlake Cut. The Windermere Cup is the feature of Seattle's Yacht Club's annual Opening Day of boating season, a tradition that dates back over a century.

Washington Rowing will play host to the Russian Men's National Team, Cambridge University Women's Boat Club, the Stanford men and the University of San Diego women in the feature races next Saturday. The regatta will air on a tape-delayed basis on Pac-12 Network.

"Windermere Cup has become a Seattle sporting tradition," said UW men's head coach Michael Callahan. "It's a rite of passage each spring. It's also provided us with incredible competition for 30 years, which our students and the participants from around the world have been able to enjoy.

"This event brings fans to rowing," Callahan continued. "It's sort of like 'The Boys in the Boat.' It makes the sport easily accessible to everyone in the region. It's a big stage."

"When I think about Windermere Cup, I think about the boating community, about all of the yachts on the log boom," said Conor Bullis, UW interim women's head coach. "I think about all the spectators, fans and supporters we have for this program and how important this event is for this university, for Seattle and for the rowing community."

The Russian team's participation in the 30^th annual running of the Windermere Cup is historically significant, as the former Soviet Union was the first team to face the Huskies in the Cup's history 30 years ago in 1987.

“The very first Windermere Cup in 1987 saw the former Soviet Union take on the UW in an epic matchup that would ultimately make international sporting history,” said OB Jacobi, president of Windermere Real Estate. “Bringing Russia for the 30th anniversary is as close as we can come to recreating that celebrated first race of this storied event.”

"I think they'll come out really fast," Callahan said of the Russian crew, which took third place at the 2015 Under-23 World Championships. "They're very big, very strong. It's good for us, because it's a good test for us to see if we can get off the line better."

This will be fourth appearance for Russia at the Windermere Cup. Russia won the first-ever Windermere Cup in 1987, competing as the Soviet Union. Russia took third place in 1996 and also participated in 2006, winning the Cup against UW and Michigan.

Cambridge will make its fourth Windermere Cup appearance in team history, the last time in 2011 when Cambridge took third place. Cambridge beat the Huskies and took second place in 1990, falling to first-place China, and also took third place in 1992.

"Cambridge and USD will provide a great test to our team," said Bullis. "But we don't really know what to expect, and that's the best part. My hope is that we prepare to race as hard as we can.

"With increased funding and exposure for the women in The Boat Race [the annual Oxford-Cambridge race on the Thames], the Cambridge rowers have become more competitive than they already were," Bullis concluded.

The Stanford men are making their fourth appearance in the Windermere Cup. In 2011, the Cardinal finished in second, behind the UW but ahead of Cambridge. They also took second in 2002 (behind UW, ahead of China) and third in 1994. San Diego is making its first appearance in the regatta. The West Coast Conference champions a year ago, the Toreros finished 15th at the 2014 NCAA Championships.

WINDERMERE CUP / CASCADE CUP RECORDS
In the 29 previous runnings of the Windermere Cup, Washington's men's varsity eight has won 21 times, with all eight losses coming to national teams (New Zealand, Great Britain, Russia, Croatia, China, Italy, Australia and the Soviet Union). Washington's men have also won the Cup with victories over Australia, Russia, the Czech Republic and South Africa, to name a few.

The UW women are also 21-8 all-time in the Windermere Cup, with the eight losses also coming vs. national teams (Russia, Czech Republic, Belarus, Great Britain, Czechoslovakia, China, New Zealand and the Soviet Union). The women have won nine straight Windermere Cups and also boast victories over a long list of national teams, including Australia, Russia, Italy, New Zealand and South Africa, among others.

The Erickson Cascade Cup, for JV or second varsity eights, has been so named since 1992 (as the Cascade Cup; amended to the Dick Erickson Memorial Cascade Cup in 2001 following the passing of the Husky Hall of Fame rower and coach). The UW men have lost just once (23-1) since then (to Nottinghamshire, in 1998), though the Husky freshmen won the race in 2007. The Washington women have won all but two Cascade Cups over that same time span, including the last eight consecutively.

MEDIA CUP
On Wednesday, May 4, at 11:30 p.m. Seattle's local TV news teams will battle it out along the Montlake Cut for the sixth annual Windermere Cup – Media Cup crew races. Led by captains Mike Ferreri (KOMO), Joyce Taylor (KING), Bridgett Turell (Q13), and Cale Ramaker (KIRO), the teams each consist of many of Seattle's media personalities. The KOMO team has taken home the Media Cup trophy four straight years after losing to KIRO in the race's first year. The winning team receives a $500 donation from Windermere Real Estate to go to their non-profit organization of its choice.

WINDERMERE CUP BOOK
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Windermere Cup, a new hard-bound book detailing the complete history of the regatta has been published. The Windermere Cup, by former UW athletics staff member and current Tacoma News-Tribune journalist Gregg Bell, features numerous photos and plenty of great stories over its 125 pages. For more information or to purchase, click here.

WHERE TO WATCH THE RACES
Saturday's races begin at 10:20 a.m. Paid parking available at the University of Washington. Fans are invited and encouraged to watch the races, free of charge, along the Montlake Cut. For more information, maps, parking and more, click here.

New this year, award ceremonies will take place following the conclusion of the Opening Day Parade AT THE FINISH LINE on the north side of the Cut (please note, this is new this year; the awards ceremonies will NOT be at Conibear Shellhouse as in the past).

Results of the races are posted, in real time, at HereNow.com. You can also follow via Facebook, Instagram and on Twitter at @UW_Rowing and @WindermereCup

30th ANNUAL WINDERMERE CUP RACE SCHEDULE
May 7, 2016 – Montlake Cut
10:20 a.m. – Police / Fire Department Race (new this year!)
10:25 a.m. – Men's 8+ 50+
10:27 a.m. – Men's 8+ 60+
10:29 a.m. – Women's 8+ 30+
10:31 a.m. – Mixed 8+ 40+
10:33 a.m. – Mixed 8+ 50+
10:35 a.m. – Women's 8+ 50+
10:39 a.m. – George Corkery Jr. Cup (Boy's 4X+)
10:41 a.m. – Whitman Cup (Girl's 4X+)
10:44 a.m. – Sykes Cup (Girl's 4+)
10:46 a.m. – Sara Nevin Cup (Boys' 4+)
10:49 a.m. – McElvaine Cup (Girls' 8+)
10:52 a.m. – Honebein Cup (Boy's 8+)
10:55 a.m. – Men's Open 4+
10:57 a.m. – Women's Varsity 4+
10:59 a.m. – Women's College Open 8+
11:03 a.m. – Men's College Open 8+
11:06 a.m. – Women's Third Varsity 8+
11:12 a.m. – Men's Freshman 8+ / Third Varsity 8 +
11:20 a.m. – Women's Erickson Cascade Cup (2V8+)
11:30 a.m. – Men's Erickson Cascade Cup (2V8+)
11:40 a.m. – Women's Windermere Cup (V8+)
11:55 a.m. – Men's Windermere Cup (V8+)

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.

WINDERMERE CUP HISTORY & INFORMATION
The Windermere Cup got its start 30 years ago when Windermere Real Estate founder, John Jacobi, joined up with the University of Washington to create the annual rowing event. They wanted to bring the best team in the world to Seattle's Montlake Cut, which at the time was the Soviet Union. That occasion marked one of the few athletic competitions for the Soviets inside the U.S. in 25 years, since relations were strained during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. The Soviet Union brought both its men's and women's crews and won both races in convincing fashion. After that, the precedent was set for what has become one of the world's premier rowing events, and certainly a staple of Seattle's rowing community. For more, go to windermerecup.com.