LAKE NATOMA – What a day for Washington Rowing, as both the men's and women's teams took home the Pac-12 Championships on Lake Natoma in dominating fashion. It was the first time in 20 years that both the men's and women's teams won the Pac-12 Championships the same year.
The UW women, who have remained ranked at No. 1 in the nation for six straight weeks, swept all five races on the day – their seventh sweep of the year. The Washington men won all races except in the Freshman 8+ where they placed second to California.
"It's humbling honestly," said women's head coach
Yasmin Farooq. "Sweeps are special and when they happen it's something to be thankful for and treasure. We went in planning our best races in each boat yet. We did not think beyond doing our best to win each race. Every lineup stepped up and delivered. It was an awesome team effort and the right next step towards NCAAs. I'm so proud of everything that this team has accomplished so far this year."
"This team showed a lot of strength and trust in each other today," said head Coach
Michael Callahan. "It is great to see their hard work pay off. But now it is time to get back to work. We still have room to grow and we are ready to put it all out there for the IRAs."
A team championship at the Pac-12 Championship marks the 15
th team championship for the women's team and the 36
th title for the men. The men won most recently in 2015.
On the women's side, Washington took first place in the novice eight, the varsity four, and the third, second, and first varsity eights. The men won the varsity four and the third, second, and first varsity eights. California took second place in all races, on the men's and women's side, except they placed first in the men's freshman eight.
"It's hard to find the words to describe how incredibly proud I am of this team," said
Margaret Phillips. "Today, our goal was to put all our heart into every stroke and we did that across all boats. We faced exciting challenges in every race. We are fortunate to race in a very competitive conference and we are excited to channel that experience into focused preparation for the NCAAs."
FULL WOMEN'S RESULTS
FULL MEN'S RESULTS
Here is a race-by race breakdown in reverse event order:
MEN'S VARSITY EIGHT
In the men's main event of the afternoon, Washington finished on top in the varsity eight. California got off to early lead over Washington in the first 500 meters. But by the 750 meter mark, the UW, stroked by Bram Schwarz, powered ahead, taking the lead over Cal and the rest of the field. They continued to build on their lead throughout the rest of the race and finished with an open water victory.
WOMEN'S VARSITY EIGHT
In the women's main event, the Huskies led the entire length of the racecourse from start to finish. With
Elise Beuke in the seven seat, Washington fast-tracked off the start line and gained an early four seat lead by the 500 meter mark. By 1000 meters the Huskies had built their lead to seven seats. They continued to push and ultimately finished ahead of California with open water.
MEN'S SECOND VARSITY EIGHT
California led in the early goings of the race, but by 1000 meters the Huskies had regained the lead. With Eric Benca in the bow, Washington saw their lead grow as much as a full length with 500 meters left to go. They finished on top of Cal with a time of 5:40.209 to 5:23.166.
WOMEN'S SECOND VARSITY EIGHT
With
Marlee Blue in the stroke seat, Washington's women's second varsity eight led early and led often. By the 1000 meter mark they were up six seats on Cal's second varsity. Coming into the last 500 meters, the Huskies had built their lead to a boat length and ended the race with a win over the field.
MEN'S THIRD VARSITY EIGHT
Washington's third varsity, coxed by Braedan Daste, was even with Cal after 500 meters. By 1000 meters they were up six seats on Cal, and continued to progress their lead until crossing the finish line.
WOMEN'S VARSITY FOUR
The women's varsity four, like most races on the day, got off to an early lead. The UW, coxed by Marley Avritt, had a four seat lead at the 1000 meter mark. They finished with a seat of open water over Cal.
MEN'S NOVICE EIGHT
In the men's freshman eight, California accelerated off the start line and never looked back. They led throughout entire race, gaining open water over the Huskies by the 1000m mark.
WOMEN'S THIRD VARSITY EIGHT
Cal got off to a hot start, gaining the lead at the 500 meter mark. However, the Huskies, with
Jennifer Wren in the stroke seat, made a move to gain the lead by 750 meters. They continued to hold lead the rest of the race finishing with a time of 6:21.724 to Cal's 6:24.793.
MEN'S VARSITY FOUR
Washington's varsity four, stroked Sean Kelly, had blazing speed the entire race. The Huskies gained a full boat length lead on Cal by the 500 meter mark. They reached open water by 1000 meters and steadily built their lead to finish with open water over Cal.
WOMEN'S NOVICE EIGHT
The Huskies, with
Molly Gallaher in the bow seat, got off to a great start on the day with a win in the first race at the Pac-12 Championships. They accelerated off the start line quickly, creating an open water lead over California at the 500m mark. Their lead continued to grow throughout the race and finished with open water over Cal.
Up Next
The Washington women will head to Mercer Lake, NJ to compete in the NCAA Championships on May 26-28. The men will come back to Lake Natoma for the IRA National Championships on June 2-4.