SEATTLE – Washington was victorious in seven out of seven races as the Husky men took on Oregon State and Stanford in a rare Friday night of racing on Montlake Cut.
 
The races were originally scheduled for Saturday morning, but were moved to Friday due to weather forecasts calling for high winds.
 
"It was a beautiful evening," UW men's head coach Michael Callahan said. "I've never done a Friday night race before, and now I think it could be a precedent. We had beautiful conditions; it couldn't have turned out better. It was fun."
 
The Huskies' first, second and third varsity eights and freshman eight each rowed two races. With a break after the first four races (the varsity four against OSU and the 1V8, 2V8 and 3V8 races vs. Stanford), the lineups for the Washington boats were changed, giving the UW coaches a chance to evaluate various combinations of rowers.
 
"I think we wanted to have two different looks, two different rhythm sections in the boat – the stern three," Callahan explained. "We want to see what our best combination is. We got to test it and now we know a little better what we're going to do the next couple weeks."
 
Here are the race recaps, in reverse chronological order:
 
Varsity Eight vs. Oregon State
Washington's varsity eight capped the evening with a win over Oregon State in the varsity eight race. With Bram Schwarz rowing in the stroke seat, the Husky boat had reached an open-water lead by the first 500 meters. The Huskies led from start to finish, taking the race in a time of 5:47.579. OSU finished in 6:03.261.
 
Second Varsity Eight vs. Oregon State
Washington's second varsity eight, under the direction of coxswain Braeden Daste and with Robert Karlen in the bow seat, got off to a fast start in the penultimate event of the regatta, taking a lead of more than five second through the first 500 meters. Washington continued to build on that lead throughout, crossing the finish line in 5:52.379, while the Beavers posted a time of 6:09.717.
 
Third Varsity Eight/Freshman Eight vs. Oregon State
Washington had three entries – the 3V8+, the 4V8+ and the F8+ – in this race, competing against the Beavers' 3V8+. The Huskies' 3V8+ started quickly to take the early advantage looking to pick up its second win of the day. The race held form throughout as there were no changes in order the entire 2,000 meters. The Husky 3V8+ won in 5:50.080, followed by the Husky freshmen, the Husky fourth varsity and the Beavers' third varsity eight.
 
Varsity Eight vs. Stanford
Washington and Stanford rowed a close race in the early-going. By the 1,000 meters, the Husky boat, coxed by Braeden Daste, led by less than a second, but as they entered the Montlake Cut for the final 500, the Huskies had extended the lead to a full length. Washington rowed to the win in 5:36.161, with just over a full boat-length of open water over the Cardinal, who finished in 5:43.323.
 
Second Varsity Eight vs. Stanford
Washington rowed aggressively out of the starting dock to take the early lead. With Rielly Milne as the coxswain and Tennyson Federspiel rowing in the stroke seat, the Husky boat had a lead of more than four seconds at the 500-meter buoy. By the halfway point, the UW lead was nearly 12 seconds. The Huskies cruised to the finish in 5:35.788, taking advantage of the fast conditions to turn in (at the time) the ninth-fastest time ever on the Montlake Cut.  Stanford finished in 6:00.672.
 
Third Varsity Eight/Freshman Eight vs. Stanford
Washington had two entrants, its third eight and the freshmen, in this race, against Stanford's 3V8+. The Huskies' 3V, with Kimmons Wilson in the coxswain seat and Evan Olson rowing in the stroke, led from wire-to-wire, with the Husky freshmen closest in pursuit throughout. The Husky 3V8+ won in a time of 5:45.859, just ahead of the freshmen (5:50.739). Stanford's 3V8+ finished in third, at 6:09.887.
 
Varsity Four vs. Oregon State
The Huskies sent four boats out for the first race of the afternoon, facing one four-man crew from OSU. The Husky A entry, coxed by Thomas Fuller, took the lead out of the gates, followed closely by the UW B and C boats the Oregon State. By the midway point, the Husky A boat had established an open-water lead over the field. The Husky B entry, coxed by freshman Kira Lewis, closed the gap, but the A boat went wire to wire for the win, finishing in 6:29.526. The other boats finished UW B, C and D, followed by the Beavers.
 
Up Next
The UW men have a weekend off before traveling to Redwood Shores for the annual Cal Dual on April 21. Washington's women travel to Lake Las Vegas to face Texas and Michigan next Saturday, April 14, before joining the men for the Cal Dual.
 
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.