SARASOTA, Fla. – The third-ranked Washington women's rowing team won three of four races Sunday at the Big Ten Invitational, finishing the weekend with 11 wins in 12 races at Nathan Benderson Park.
 
After an 8-for-8 Friday, the Huskies won their races in the second varsity eights, and first and second varsity fours, and finished second in the varsity eight on Saturday.
 
"This was our first ever Big Ten Invitational and we were proud to represent in our new conference," said UW head coach Yasmin Farooq. "Racing three times in two days was invaluable— it was like a mini NCAA Championship— and that's how we treated it. We saw a number of teams we wouldn't typically see at this point in the season, and were able to get many cross-conference references."
 
Washington had to wait a few extra minutes to finish its weekend as, in the Huskies' last race of the regatta, the varsity eights, a Penn rower had an oar come out of its oarlock a few strokes in, requiring a re-start. 
 
About eight minutes after the original start, the race got underway once again. No. 6-ranked Tennessee's top crew, which won both of its races on Friday, led the way through the first half of the race and held a half-of-a-length edge in the second 500. 
 
By 1,000 meters, UW had started to make a move, cutting the lead to a deck-length early in the third 500.
 
But, as the two contending crews entered the sprint, the Volunteers were able to hold off each Husky challenge. Tennessee won the race in 6:20.834, about a half-length ahead of Washington (6:22.568).


 
The Huskies' second varsity eight trailed Brown through 500 meters in its race, but by 1,000 meters, the UW had moved to the top of the pack. The Bruins, however, hung in with the Huskies, keeping contact into the final sprint.
 
UW's second varsity crew won its race in 6:29.918, eight seats and about 2.6 seconds ahead of Brown.
 
"I think this weekend was an incredible opportunity for our boats to challenge ourselves in a particular way we haven't yet experienced this season," said Leah Nash, bow seat in the UW's 2V8+. "It's special to have three back-to-back races against some great competition and schools that we typically don't see until the NCAAs because of how much growth a team can have in just a few short days. I am proud of what we learned from this weekend and extremely psyched to tackle these next six weeks with the squad."


 
Washington's varsity four faced a challenge from Tennessee, which also won both of its races on Friday. However, the Huskies were strongest out of the start and established an open-water advantage over the other five crews inside of the first two minutes.
 
For the remainder of the race, Washington was in command, with Brown moving into a clear second-place position. Washington won it in 7:08.844, nearly six seconds ahead of Brown.
 


In the second varsity fours race, the Huskies' first of the morning, Michigan took the early lead and Tennessee also hung in with the UW crew during the opening portion. The Huskies and Wolverines moved away from the others and battled for the lead through the first half of the race.
 
By 1,000 meters, the UW 2V4+ had the lead over Michigan and, over the last half of the race, steadily increased it. After holding off one last move from the Wolverines, UW won the race in 7:19.652, about 4.3 seconds and a bit of open water in front.


 
"We had strong performances in all four boats throughout the weekend and also faced some excellent competition, which allowed us to work on many aspects of our race," said Farooq. "I really loved the three-race format. Every boat grew in significant ways."
 
"We chose to race a heavy and demanding schedule this year," Farooq noted, "and this was the perfect way to kick off three weeks of challenging races."
 
Next Saturday, alongside the UW men, Washington will host The Dual, vs. California, on Montlake Cut. Those races get started at 10:00 a.m. PT. On May 3, UW hosts the annual Windermere Cup/Opening Day Regatta.
 
WASHINGTON LINEUPS
 
Varsity Eight
Cox: Grace Murdock (Roswell, Ga.)
Stroke: Marilou Duvernay-Tardif (St. Jean-Baptiste, Que., Canada)
7: Sophie Houston (Sydney, Australia)
6: Megan Lee (Natick, Mass.)
5: Aisha Rocek (Como, Italy)
4: Zola Kemp (Wellington, New Zealand)
3: Sally Jones (Victoria, B.C., Canada)
2: Olivia Hay (Auckland, New Zealand)
Bow: Shakira Mirfin (Invercargill, New Zealand)
 
Second Varsity Eight
Cox: Isabel Michaelson (Mukilteo, Wash.)
Stroke: Ava Meuleman (Seattle, Wash.)
7: Jordan Freer (Lotus, Calif.)
6: Cillian Mullen (Tacoma, Wash.)
5: Jess Weir (London, England, U.K.)
4: Emma Waters (Galway, Ireland)
3: Chloe Sheppard (Tewkesbury, England, U.K.)
2: Madeleine Parker (Napier, New Zealand)
Bow: Leah Nash (Chatham, Mass.)
 
Varsity Four
Cox: Camille Randall (Seattle, Wash.)
Stroke: Paris Burbine (Alpharetta, Ga.)
3: Cait Whittard (St. Catherine's, Ont., Canada)
2: Violet Holbrow Brooksbank (Monmouth, Wales, U.K.)
Bow: Mira Calder (Victoria, B.C. Canada)
 
Second Varsity Four
Cox: Perry McLoughlin (Port Washington, N.Y.)
Stroke: Margaret Young (San Anselmo, Calif.)
3: Sofie Sand (Rochester, Wash.)
2: Alex Dessart (Bronxville, N.Y.)
Bow: Scout Wilson (San Antonio, Texas)