SEATTLE – Following its historic fifth straight Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championship, UW men's crew was named Seattle's Sports Story of the Year by the Seattle Sports Commission. The award was voted on by the general public and the Huskies were honored at the 2016 MTR Western Sports Star of the Year awards at Paramount Theater in Seattle.
“It's an honor to have represented our university and also the city of Seattle," UW men's crew head coach Michael Callahan said. "We're proud to be part of a city that celebrates our sport. We're fortunate to be in a place that understands what we do. It's a city that appreciates hard work, teamwork and excellence. We've got a lot of people who support our program and they deserve to be recognized."
UW men's crew continued its run as the most dominant program in collegiate rowing, becoming the first team to ever win five straight IRA titles and sweeping all five heavyweight championship races for the third time in team history. The Huskies are the only team to ever sweep all five races. Including heats and semifinals, Washington won 14 out of 14 races at the 2015 IRAs.
“The results speak for themselves,” Callahan said. “I'm really happy for this team - these guys deserve this. To have the chance to bring this special group together again and celebrate their accomplishments is really a great moment for our program.”
In the featured varsity eight race, the Huskies led from start to finish and beat rival Cal by a boat length. The Huskies have won the IRA title in seven of the last nine years and 18 times overall.
Washington's second and third varsity eights each controlled their races from start to finish, and the freshman eight posted the widest margin of victory, winning by nearly five seconds. The varsity four won in dramatic fashion, beating Stanford at the finish line to ensure the five-race sweep.
The Huskies took home the James Ten Eyck Trophy as the team points champion for the unprecedented ninth year in a row, having won each year since 2007. UW has now won the Ten Eyck Trophy 12 times in its history.
