Huskies Win Five Out Of Nine Races At Cal

Saturday, April 23

Redwood City, CA

All Day

University of Washington

California

Photo by: Washington Athletics

April 23, 2016 | Men's Rowing

Photo Gallery Final Results Men's Lineups

By: Washington Athletics

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif. – Washington Rowing won five out of nine races overall in Saturday's Cal Dual under fast racing conditions at Redwood Shores. The Huskies took the first four races of the morning, sealing victories in both the men's and women's third varsity eights and varsity fours. In addition, the women's second varsity eight showed excellent strength and speed throughout their race, going on to beat the Bears by over three seconds.

In the main event for the men, the No. 2 ranked Washington varsity eight fell to No. 4 ranked California by a half-second, as both teams beat the course record in a lightning fast race. A late push by the Huskies was not enough to overtake the Bears in the final competition of the day. The Husky men ultimately won two out of their five races.

"This was a course-record setting performance by both crews," said UW men's head coach Michael Callahan. "The quality and depth of both of these programs right now is impressive. I think for the first time this season both crews are at full strength now. Cal had an outstanding performance today."

"I continue to be impressed with this varsity 8," Callahan continued. "It's young, tough and raw. We had a wire-to-wire race with a veteran California boat."

On the women's side, the No. 7 ranked Washington Women's crew won three out of four against the No. 1-ranked California women. All boats but the varsity eight were victorious for the Huskies. The womens' varsity eight race was also run in a very fast time from both crews. Washington set new highs in almost every split today, a great momentum builder going into the Windermere Cup in two weeks' time. Cal's winning time in the women's varsity eight was a Redwood Shores course record while Huskies' time was just two-tenths of a second short of that same record (6:13.0)

“It was a really good day,” said women's head coach Conor Bullis. “Three out of four was really good for the team, given where we are in the training cycle I was really proud.”

“This is a really big test for the team and a really good stepping-stone for us to make a final push here for the final three events of the season,” noted Bullis. “I was very pleased with some of the younger talent on our team that has to learn under high-pressure situations. Today I thought was a really good test for the younger athletes to be under that pressure.”

Both the men and women now have two weeks to prepare for the Windermere Cup Regatta May 7 in Seattle. The Russian Under-23 men, the Cambridge University women and crews from Stanford and the University of San Diego will compete in the 30th annual event.

"We are moving the right direction week by week," said Callahan. "I'm really excited to see what we can do next week. Can't wait to get back to the Cut for the Windermere Cup. It's going to be a good show."

Men's Varsity 8+
The men's varsity eight, the final race of the day, was neck and neck the whole way. Cal held a slight lead at the 1000-meter mark, but the Huskies remained in well in contention into the second half of the race. A final 500-meter push by the Huskies was not enough to surpass the Bears, who won by a half-second, 5:27.8 to Cal's 5:27.3, the closest finish of the day in a blistering pace as no boat had ever covered the distance at Redwood Shores in less than 5:30.

Women's Varsity 8+
In the women's varsity eight, the Huskies,coxed by Phoebe Marks-Nicholes, led through the first 600 meters. By 1,000 meters, the Golden Bears had taken a two-seat lead and Cal pulled ahead to close out the win. Washington's time was 6:13.2, while Cal had finished in 6:09.2.

Men's Second Varsity 8+
In the second varsity eight race, Cal Bears held an open-water lead at the 1000-meter mark. Thy Huskies continued to stroke hard, but a late push was not enough as the Bears finished the race on top by just over two seconds. The UW men had a time of 5:38.2, finishing behind Cal, at 5:35.6

Women's Second Varsity 8+
With captain Danielle Olson sitting in the three seat, Washington's second varsity eight came out on top over Cal. The Husky women had a boat-length lead at the 1000-meter mark and continued that pace through the rest of the race, finishing on top by over three seconds. The UW's final time was 6:19.3, while Cal had a time of 6:22.8.

Men's Freshman 8+
Washington's first defeat of the day came on the fifth race, featuring the Frosh eight. The Huskies, stroked by Ari Cohen, held a slight, one-seat lead on the Bears at the halfway mark, but a late push from Cal sealed the victory. UW ended with a time of 5:41.7 to fall to Cal's time of 5:37.7

Women's Varsity 4+
The women's varsity four, coxed by Madison Mariani, started out very close at the 500-meter mark. But by 1000 meters, the Husky women held a boat-length lead. The UW women survived a late push by Cal to seal the victory. UW finished at 7:01.8 with Cal at 7:05.1.

Men's Varsity 4+
With Samuel O'Brien in the stroke, Washington's varsity four won the second race of the day on the men's side. They held a boat-length lead at 1000 meters and continued to build to a three-boat lead at 1,500. They finished with a time of 6:18.7 over Cal's 6:31.8.

Women's Third Varsity 8+
The women's third varsity eight showed impressive speed as they held a boat lead by 1000 meters, and continued to hold open water all the way through the finish. Washington won with a time of 6:31.6 over California's time of 6:43.1

Men's Third Varsity 8+
The day started off well for the Huskies. The first race of the day, featuring the men's third varsity eight, was a close one after the first 1,000. With Eric Benca at the stroke, a late push at the final 500 meters secured the victory for the Huskies. The Huskies finished with a time of 5:46.5, beating Cal by just over four seconds (5:51.3).

Next up for the Washington men and women is the Windermere Cup/Opening Day Regatta May 7 on Montlake Cut. The UW men will take on the Russian National U-23 crew and Stanford while the women face Cambridge and the University of San Diego.

“We are going to go back home and get into training for our final training cycle,” said Bullis. “Speed is queen in our boat house. We have two weeks to do some more training and some more figuring at that point.”

Follow Washington Rowing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UW_Rowing for updates and information.

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.