SEATTLE – Washington men's and women's rowing teams won all eight of their races at the Husky Open Saturday morning on the Montlake Cut.
The UW men won all five of their races while women went three-for-three in theirs. The No. 4-ranked Husky women had their top two eights and top two fours in California, competing in the Pac-12 Challenge while the UW men didn't enter their top two eights Saturday, in preparation for races at Oregon State next weekend.
"We have a lot of internal competition going for seats for the rest of the year," UW men's head coach
Michael Callahan said afterwards. "I was really impressed with
Kimmons Wilson's boat [winner of the men's third varsity eight race].
"This is a regatta with a lot of local teams, but we'll see our principle competition later on this year," he continued. "This is a good step from an intrasquad race to this race, to the bigger steps along the way."
Here are recaps of Saturday's Husky Open races, in chronological order:
Men's Varsity 8+
Washington's all-freshman boat, coxed by
Marley Avritt, rolled out to an early lead and emerged from under the Montlake Bridge with a clear lead over Lewis & Clark College and Puget Sound. While those two crews fought it out for second place, the Huskies crossed the line in first with a time of 6:08.101. UPS out-dueled Lewis & Clark for second, about two seconds ahead.
Men's Varsity 8+
In the second race of the day, Washington's third varsity eight led throughout for a win over club crews from Western Washington and Washington State. The Huskies, coxed by
Emmiline Nordale and with
Luke Khoury rowing in the stroke seat, won with a time of 5:55.910. WWU finished second in a time of 6:25.224. WSU was third in 6:32.012.
Women's Varsity 8+
A veteran Husky eight with Kelly Bond serving as coxswain and Jennifer Wren rowing stroke, led from start to finish. After a relatively close start, the Huskies pulled away from Lewis & Clark and Puget Sound, stretching their lead consistently throughout the race. In the end, Washington won in a time of 6:42.854, head of second-place Lewis & Clark and third-place UPS.
Men's Second Varsity 8+
An all-freshman boat, with
Thomas Fuller in the cox seat and
Harvey Kay in the stroke, rowed to a win in the second varsity eight race, going wire-to-wire in front. The Huskies crossed the line in 5:56.322, well ahead of the rest of the field. Gonzaga, Western Washington and Washington State finished second through fourth, respectively.
Women's Second Varsity 8+
The women's entry in the second varsity eight was also an all-freshman crew, with Lydia Ely coxing and Emma Vagen in the stroke, stretched an early lead into a 17-second win over the rest of the field. Washington's time of 6:44.542 bested second-place UPS, third-place Portland and fourth-place Lewis & Clark.
Men's Third Varsity 8+
The fastest time of the day was turned in by Washington's entrant in the third varsity eight, with
Kimmons Wilson serving as coxswain and
Sean Kelly rowing in the stroke seat. That boat crossed the finish line in 5:49.622, well in front of the rest of the field. WSU's club program was second, 44 seconds back, but ahead of Gonzaga and Western Washington, who were close behind in third and fourth.
Men's Varsity 4+
The Husky four, coxed by Andre Mattus and stroked by
Harry Fox, rowed to a 30-plus-second win in the Huskie's lone men's fours race of the day. Washington won in 6:26.497. UPS was second, ahead of Lewis & Clark and Washington State.
Women's Varsity 4+
In the final college race of the day, the UW boat with Dana Brooks at coxswain and Kadie Brown in the stroke won by more than a full minute, crossing the finish in 7:14.083. WSU was second and Pacific University (Oregon) took third.
Next Saturday, April 8, the UW men and women will both compete at Dexter Lake in Oregon. The women will both compete at the Oregon State Classic, where they'll face UCLA, Oregon State and Washington State. The Husky men will also send boats across the state to take on Washington State.
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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.