HENLEY-ON-THAMES, U.K. – Washington's national champion men's varsity eight crew will race for the Grand Challenge Cup Sunday at Henley Royal Regatta after beating a crew from Princeton Training Center & Craftsbury Racing Project Saturday.
 
The Husky crew, featuring the same lineup that won the program's 20^th IRA national title earlier this year, won its race by a length over a crew made up from the pool of U.S. Rowing national team trainees, finishing the 2,112-meter races in 6:26, one length in front.
 
On Sunday, Washington will square off with Oxford Brookes and Taurus Boat Club, from the U.K., looking to take home the Grand Challenge Cup – Henley's oldest trophy – for the first time since winning it in 1977.
 
An American university crew hasn't won the Grand since Harvard beat Princeton in the final in 1985, 39 years ago. Prior to that, the last U.S. college crew to win was Washington, in 1977. American university programs have won the Grand just eight times since the event was first held in 1839 (U.S. colleges have competed for the trophy at least as early as 1901).
 
In other races involving UW alumni, a U.S. Rowing development women's eight, rowing as Princeton T.C. & ARION, coached by UW women's coach Yasmin Farooq and with former UW captain Holly Drapp '21 in the four seat, won its Remenham Cup semifinal vs. Hollandia Roeiclub (Netherlands). Sunday, the U.S. crew will race the top women's eight from Oxford Brookes University (U.K.) for the top women's trophy of the regatta.
 
Also earlier Saturday, a Molesey (U.K.) Boat Club women's four that included former Washington rowers Ella Cossill '22 and Angharad Broughton '23, lost to Rowing Canada by 1 ½ lengths in a Town Challenge Cup semifinal.
 
WASHINGTON LINEUP
 
Grand Challenge Cup
Cox: Nikita Jacobs
Stroke: Max Heid
7: Archie Drummond
6: Jonathan Wang-Norderud
5: Giuseppe Bellomo
4: Sam Ford
3: Cameron Tasker
2: Harry Fitzpatrick
Bow: Marius Bjørn-Hansen Ahlsand