SEATTLE – The No. 1 Washington women's rowing team won three out of four races, but No. 3 California took home the Simpson Cup with a win in the varsity eight Saturday in the annual UW-Cal Dual on Montlake Cut.
 
The UW and Cal saw one another at the San Diego Crew Classic earlier this month, when the UW won the varsity four and the third varsity eight finals, and also finished ahead of the Bears in the second and novice eights, but California won the varsity eight grand final. With the Pac-12 and NCAA Championships still on the horizon, the two old rivals are destined to compete twice more, with more trophies on the line.
 
"I think the main hope going into today would be that we would be competitive across the board," UW head coach Yasmin Farooq said, noting that the Cal crew wasn't at full strength in San Diego. "So to come out of it with the wins that we had and the varsity eight being such a competitive race, I felt really good about that. It would have been awesome to have four boats win today, for sure, but the competitiveness of that varsity eight is incredibly heartening for us. Cal is the national champion and they rowed a really, really solid race and earned the win today."
 
The UW-Cal races were held after the first She Will Win Regatta. She Will Win is an organization founded by 2018 UW women's team captain Karlé Pittsinger that aims to educate the community on inequalities girls face within sports, generating a platform for female athletes to share stories and spread awareness. On Saturday, junior girls and masters women raced prior to the college races.
 
" It was so cool to see women of all ages – juniors to masters – out on the Cut," Farooq said. "That just feels good all the way around. You look at these college women today and they are able to compete and earn scholarships. That wasn't the case for the women in the '60s, '70s and '80s. To have those women come and be a part of this day along with our women and also high school rowers – we want them all to feel that their opportunities are equal. That's what this day was about."
 
Varsity Eight
Washington's varsity eight, which finished a close second (about 1.7 seconds behind) to California at San Diego, took the lead over the Bears in the early going of Saturday's race. With perhaps the worst conditions of any of the morning's events, the Huskies were able to deal with the whitecaps and wind over the first portion of the 2,000 meters, and led the race at 500 and 1,000 meters. But as the shells moved into the calmer waters of the Montlake Cut, the Bears dug in and moved in front, passing the 1,500-meter mark 1.3 seconds ahead of Washington.
 
Washington, coxed by Marley Avritt and with Tabea Schendekehl in the stroke seat for the second weekend in a row, hung close down the home stretch, but the Bears were equal to the challenge. In the end, Cal won by six seats, in a time of 6:40.739. Washington was about 2.2 seconds behind, at 6:42.925.
 
Second Varsity Eight
The second varsity race was a battle from the start as both crews came out fast and kept it very close early on. UW had the slight edge for most of the first few hundred meters as the two shells battled through tough racing conditions despite the sunny morning. By 500 meters, Cal had taken the narrow lead, crossing that buoy just in front of Washington's eight, coxed by Amanda Durkin and stroked by Klara Grube. At 1,000 meters, UW had moved in the lead and over second half of the race, rowing into a headwind, the Huskies built on its advantage, winning the race by about two lengths of open water. The UW's time was 7:01.786 to Cal's 7:12.911.
 
Varsity Four
Washington's varsity four, coxed by Isabella Corriere and stroked by sophomore Holly Drapp, rowed to the early lead on a choppy race course, taking a half-length lead in the first 200 meters or so, but California remained in contention, never letting the Huskies get too large of a lead early on. After 500 meters, the Husky four had increased its lead to just shy of a length, but still couldn't quite separate and take full command as the Bears hung close. Coming down the stretch, California closed on the Huskies, but Washington's shell crossed the line about a half a boat-length in front, winning with a time of 7:41.124. Cal was second in 7:42.808.
 
Third Varsity Eight/Novice Eight
Two UW boats – the third varsity eight and the novice eight – raced against Cal's 3V8+.  The Cal boat took the early lead and held it through the first 500 meters. In the second 500, however, the UW's third varsity eight crew, with coxswain Dana Brooks and freshman Dimitra Tsamopoulou in the stroke seat, moved in front. By 1,000 meters, the Husky boat was nearly a length ahead and in the second half of the race, the UW continued to steadily build its lead. Washington's 3V8 won the race by open water, with a time of 6:59.601. Cal's 3V was second, in 7:13.864, holding off a late sprint from the UW novice boat, which finished in 7:13.086.
 
Next Up
Washington hosts the 33rd annual Windermere Cup/Opening Day Regatta next Saturday, May 4, on Montlake Cut. The UW men will face Germany along with the Boston University men and UCLA women. Races begin at 10:16 a.m.
 
Washington Lineups
 
Varsity Eight
Cox: Marley Avritt (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor)
Stroke: Tabea Schendekehl (Dortmund, Germany)
7: Marlee Blue (Seattle, Wash./Holy Names Academy)
6: Sofia Asoumanaki (Athens, Greece)
5: Mackenna Cameron (Seattle, Wash./Chief Sealth Int'l.)
4: Teal Cohen (Dallas, Texas/The Hockaday School)
3: Carmela Pappalardo (Salerno, Italy)
2: Jennifer Wren (Seattle Wash./Bishop Blanchet)
Bow: Calina Schanze (Behlendorf, Germany)
 
Second Varsity Eight
Cox: Amanda Durkin (Hingham, Mass./Hingham)
Stroke: Klara Grube (Lübeck, Germany)
7: Lark Skov (Steamboat Springs, Colo./Steamboat Springs)
6: Elise Beuke (Sequim, Wash./Sequim)
5: Holly Dunford (Tadworth, U.K.)
4: Molly Gallaher (Snoqualmie, Wash./Skyline)
3: Valentina Iseppi (Gardone Riviera, Italy)
2: Skylar Jacobson (Lakewood, Wash./Steilacoom)
Bow: Adele Likin (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt)
 
Varsity Four
Stroke: Holly Drapp (Tampa, Fla./Strawberry Crest)
3: Kieanna Stephens (Vancouver, B.C., Canada)
2: McKenna Bryant (Kent, Wash./Kennedy Catholic)
Bow: Emma Vagen (Kent, Wash./Kentwood)
Cox: Isabella Corriere (Montclair, N.J./Montclair)
 
Third Varsity Eight
Cox: Dana Brooks (Tiburon, Calif./Redwood)
Stroke: Dimitra Tsamopoulou (Athens, Greece)
7: Ella Cossill (Gold Coast, Australia)
6: Ellie Bruce (Snoqualmie, Wash./Mount Si)
5: Taylor Buell (Olympia, Wash./Capital)
4: Rachel McGlothlen (Spokane, Wash./West Valley)
3: Jenna Phillips (Dayton, Wash./Dayton)
2: Marguerite Trost (Nashville, Tenn./Harpeth Hall School)
Bow: Denise Devlyn (Austin, Texas/St. Stephen's Episcopal)
 
Novice Eight
Cox: Nina Castagna (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills)
Stroke: Sierra Williams (Seattle, Wash./Cleveland STEM)
7: Hallie Jensen (Spokane, Wash./Lakeside)
6: Carmen McNamara-Smith (Seattle, Wash./Center School)
5: Sophia Chaffey (Redmond, Wash./Bellevue Christian)
4: Claire Marion (San Marcos, Calif./San Marcos)
3: Isabelle Knowles (Mercer Island, Wash./Mercer Island)
2: Brittani Shappell (Bellingham, Wash./Walworth Barbour)
Bow: Joïe Zier (Orcas Island, Wash./Orcas Island)
 
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.