HENDERSON, Nev. – The Washington men's rowing team earned victories over Dartmouth in the varsity eight and second varsity eight Saturday on Lake Las Vegas, opening the 2018 season in impressive fashion.
 
The UW was scheduled to take on Santa Clara in two more races in the afternoon, but those were cancelled due to the windy conditions. Santa Clara will, however, get a shot at the Huskies later as the Broncos will come to Seattle for the Husky Open, March 31 on Montlake Cut.
 
In the first race of the Las Vegas Invitational, the Husky men's varsity eight beat Dartmouth by about three boat lengths of open water. The Huskies, coxed by senior Rielly Milne, led from start to finish. After opening a four-seat lead at 500 meters, the UW eight consistently widened the gap over the final 1,500, turning a few feet of open water at 1,000 into several lengths at the finish. Washington won in a time of 6:15.9, with Dartmouth crossing the line in 6:28.5.
 
In their second race, the Huskies' second varsity eight, coxed by Braeden Daste, was dominant throughout. At the midway point, the UW shell had several lengths of open water over the Big Green and the Huskies held, and extended, that edge over the final 1,000, winning with a time of 6:35.5. Dartmouth rowed in at 7:10.4.
 
"Vegas has everything now! NFL, NHL and now rowing!," Husky head coach Michael Callahan said. It was super fun to try a new race course here in Las Vegas.  It was our first time here so we didn't know what to expect.  We wanted to reward the team for doing the work over the winter months.  They showed poise and today and it was good to see us row with maturity."
 
Up Next
The Huskies will host the 117th annual Class Day Regatta March 24 on Montlake Cut.
 
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.