University of Washington

SEATTLE – Washington men’s rowing heads to Lake Natoma as the five-time defending Pac-12 Champions with hopes of winning its sixth-straight conference title this Sunday, May 17, in Gold River, Calif.

“This will be a really intriguing year for the Pac-12 Championships,” UW men’s crew head coach Michael Callahan said. “With the strength of the conference and the new points system, this will really be a team battle for the conference championship. We have great depth and student-athletes who are really committed. We are confident in our guys.”

The Huskies are in the midst of a dominating stretch at the Pac-12 Championships, having won seven of the last eight years. UW has 30 conference titles in its history dating back to 1965.

The Pac-12 Championships has a new points system in place beginning this year. The system takes into account results from the varsity and second varsity eight races, as well as the higher placement and point value between the third varsity eight and freshman eight races. The varsity eight race is worth up to 32 points, the second varsity is worth up to 24, and the third varsity or freshman result is worth up to 16 points. This format closely resembles the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) National Championships, the only difference being the second varsity given the same value as the third varsity or freshman eight races at the IRA National Championships.

After splitting with top-ranked Cal at the yearly dual regatta between the Huskies and the Bears, the points system creates an intriguing rematch between the two best teams in the country. Two other top-20 nationally-ranked teams, Stanford and Oregon State, figure to be in the mix in a loaded field.

“This is a great chance to see how much we’ve improved,” Callahan said. “We understand that this is a process, and we’ve seen the work our student-athletes have put in on a daily basis. The bottom line is improvement.”

The Huskies are coming off a narrow loss in the 2015 Windermere Cup to the New Zealand National Team, one of the top crews in the world. UW pushed the Kiwis until the end in a race that left the Huskies feeling good about their performance.

“We try and race against the best, and you’re not going to find a boat better than the New Zealand National Team,” Callahan said. “Obviously, you hate to lose, but our guys came off the water feeling good about our performance. Our base rhythm improved and the team is starting to find our swing at the right time.”

After the Pac-12 Championships, the Huskies will prepare to defend their title as the four-time defending national champions. The IRA National Championships will take place May 29-31 in Mercer Lake, N.J.

Follow the action from the Pac-12 Championships on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @UWHuskyCrew.

Pac-12 Championships Full Schedule