The Washington rowing season continues this week with a packed schedule of races Saturday morning on the Montlake Cut. Along the annual Husky Open, the UW women will square off with Washington State in the annual Boeing Apple Cup of rowing, while the men face Santa Clara and Gonzaga.
 
WOMEN vs. WASHINGTON STATE
The Boeing Apple Cup Series for women's rowing is on tap this Saturday, March 31, as Washington faces Washington State in the annual dual regatta. The UW-WSU races begin at 9:15 a.m. PT.
 
Last year when the Huskies visited Pullman, the WSU program hosted the UW rowers for dinner on Friday night. This year, the UW will return the favor as the two teams will sit down for a meal Friday night.
 
"When you sit across the table and share a meal you see each other as real people," UW women's coach Yasmin Farooq said. "We're all working really hard on both sides of the state. If anything, it reinforces the concept of making your own boat go as fast as you can go. I'm confident both teams will bring their best and hopefully that makes for a great race."
 
The Washington women look to take home their eighth Apple Cup in a row, as they have won the varsity eight race the previous seven seasons. Last year Washington won all six races against the Cougars on the Snake River.
 
This year, the Huskies and Cougars will square off in first, second and third varsity eights races, plus a varsity four and freshman eight. It's a rare chance for all of the boats that will race at Pac-12 Championships to compete against a conference foe so early in the season. Farooq sees that as a great opportunity, especially for the freshmen.
 
"I think we have a great crop of freshmen and a lot of them are from Washington," she said. "For them to get the chance to race in a novice eight against Washington State is really good motivation for them. It will be exciting to see those awesome athletes wield an oar for the first time in competition."
 
For the latest version of the schedule for the Apple Cup races and the rest of the Husky Open Regatta, click here (schedule will likely change between now and Saturday).
 
HUSKY OPEN
Both the UW men and women will race in the Husky Open, a regatta that also features both masters and youth races.
 
The UW men will first compete in varsity eight and second varsity eight races against Santa Clara and Gonzaga. The Huskies were scheduled to meet Santa Clara March 3 in Las Vegas but, after competing against Dartmouth that morning, the slate of races against Santa Clara were canceled due to strong wins.
 
After the Santa Clara/Gonzaga races, the UW men will race another four boats in the first, second and third varsity eight races in the Husky Open, meaning that a total of six UW men's eights will compete.
 
"It's great to get the whole squad out there," men's coach Michael Callahan said. "Everyone from top to bottom has been working hard and that competition makes everyone better. It will be fun for everyone to get out and race Saturday."
 
The Washington women will feature several boats at the Husky Open (not including the five boats competing against WSU).
 
Again, for the latest version of the Husky Open schedule, click here (schedule will likely change between now and Saturday).
 
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Washington will provide a live stream of the races the Pac-12's streaming website. Fans interested in watching should go to that site or download the Pac-12 Now app. You do NOT need to have a cable subscription to view the video stream via a web browser.
 
You can also get live results on HereNow.com and follow along on the program's Twitter (@UW_Rowing) and Instagram (@washingtonrowing) feeds.
 
NEXT UP
On April 7, the Washington men's team will take on Oregon State and Stanford in a pair of dual meets on Montlake Cut. The UW women's next competition will have a week off and then return to Las Vegas to face Michigan and Texas.
 
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.