No. 1 Washington Men Sweep Pac-12s For Fourth Straight Title
GOLD RIVER, Calif. – The No. 1-ranked Washington men's rowing team won its fourth consecutive Pac-12 Championship Sunday at Lake Natoma, winning all five races at the conference regatta.
The Washington men were joined on the top level of the podium by the UW women's team, which also won its fourth straight conference crown with wins in four of five races Sunday. The men's crown was the 40th in program history, most by any team. The first conference championship was held in 1960.
"A year ago we were making decisions whether to bring people back to begin training," said UW head coach Michael Callahan, referencing the fact that the 2020 season was wiped out by the pandemic. "Days like today reaffirm that we made the right decisions and the importance of team. We felt like we never lost our way and our students really bonded together."
"It's always great to be able celebrate with the women's team," Callahan continued. "There's so much camaraderie in the shellhouse and it's important to acknowledge that."
Washington scored a total of 72 points, the maximum, with victories in the first, second and third varsity eights. The Huskies also won the freshman eight and varsity four races to complete the five-race sweep. California finished second with 63 points while Oregon State (47) finished third.
The Huskies' varsity eight, stroked by fifth-year oarsman George Esau and with Max Schwartzkopff in the coxswain seat for the first time, held the lead for the entirety of the 2,000 meters, besting California, just as the Huskies had done two weeks earlier at the Windermere Cup/Cal Dual.
The margin this time was a bit tighter as the Huskies crossed the finish with less than a half-length of open water over the Golden Bears. Washington's time was 5:46.099 while the Bears finished in 5:50.640.
The Huskies' second varsity eight beat Cal with a bit more room to spare. Led by senior captain Steve Rosts in the stroke seat and coxswain Zach Casler, the Huskies completed the race in 5:52.507, about six and a half seconds in front of Cal.
The UW's third varsity eights, with Seattleites Adam Gold and Jeffrey Thiers in the coxswain and stroke roles, respectively, held off a strong challenge from the Bears, avenging a loss in the same event at the Cal Dual. Washington's time was 5:57.616, just 2.24 second better than Cal (5:59.856).
Washington's freshman eight rowed unopposed as no other Pac-12 program was able to enter a crew in that race. Stroked by Gus Altucher (Portland, Ore.), the Husky freshman earned the title, finishing the 2,000-meter course in a time of 6:13.888.
Washington opened the regatta with a win in the varsity four. California led at both 500 and 1,000 meters, but the Huskies took the lead in the third 500 and rowed to a win in a time of 6:37.019, nearly five seconds in front of the Golden Bears.
"We told the guys not to overlook this step, and I was really pleased that we performed so well," Callahan said. " We didn't take this for granted. Looking back from October to today, we've really grown a lot. Our oarsmen, especially the freshmen, really stuck it out and should be proud of what they've accomplished to even get to the starting line today."
Next up for the men is the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Championship Regatta, at Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J., May 28 and 29. This year, the regatta will be held over just two days. In men's college rowing, the winner of the varsity eight grand final is considered "national champion."
PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS MEN'S RESULTS
Men's Total Points
1. Washington – 72
2. California – 63
3. Oregon State – 47
4. Stanford – 42
5. Washington State – 28
6. Oregon – 12
Men's Varsity 8+
1. Washington – 5:46.099
2. California – 5:50.640
3. Stanford – 5:54.113
4. Oregon State – 6:09.915
5. Washington State – 6:28.430
6. Oregon – 6:43.027
Men's Second Varsity 8+
1. Washington – 5:52.507
2. California – 5:58.927
3. Stanford – 6:07.262
4. Oregon State – 6:25.167
5. Washington State – 6:42.497
Men's Third Varsity 8+
1. Washington – 5:57.616
2. California – 5:59.856
3. Oregon State – 6:36.131
Men's Novice 8+
1. Washington – 6:13.888
Men's Varsity 4+
1. Washington – 6:37.019
2. California – 6:41.932
3. Oregon State – 7:23.562
4. Oregon – 7:45.825
WASHINGTON MEN'S LINEUPS
Varsity Eight
Shell: Shoe DaWg
Cox: Max Schwartzkopff (Frankfurt am Main, Germany)
Stroke: George Esau (Long Lake, Minn./Orono)
7: Pieter Quinton (Portland, Ore./Grant/Harvard)
6: Jack Walkey (Victoria, B.C., Canada)
5: Peter Lancashire (Victoria, B.C., Canada)
4: Gert-Jan van Doorn (Leiden, The Netherlands)
3: Mattijs Holler (Vienna, Austria)
2: Adam Krol (Toronto, Ont., Canada)
Bow: Samuel Halbert (Redmond, Wash./Woodinville)
Second Varsity Eight
Shell: Chuck Holtz III
Cox: Zach Casler (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor)
Stroke: Steve Rosts (Jordon, Ont., Canada)
7: Ian Engstrom (Lincoln, Mass./Lincoln-Sudbury)
6: Felix Reinhold (Cape Town, South Africa)
5: Nils Vorberg (Hamburg, Germany)
4: David Bridges (Portland, Ore./Jesuit)
3: Paolo Bifulco (Portland, Ore./Lincoln)
2: Sebastian Ritter (Regensburg, Germany)
Bow: Chase Deitner (Perth Australia)
Third Varsity Eight
Shell: Chuck Holtz II
Cox: Adam Gold (Seattle, Wash./Seattle Academy)
Stroke: Jeffrey Thiers (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt)
7: Jack Premzic (Davis, Calif./Davis Senior)
6: Max Mason (Redmond, Wash./Redmond)
5: Max Heid (Seattle, Wash./Seattle Prep)
4: Chase Barrows (Snohomish, Wash./Archbishop Murphy)
3: Robert Pluijmert (Dieren, The Netherlands)
2: Pablo Matan (San Jose, Calif./Bellarmine Prep)
Bow: Blake Bradshaw (Auckland, New Zealand)
Novice Eight
Shell: Carl Lovsted
Cox: Nick Dunlop (Sydney, Australia)
Stroke: Gus Altucher (Portland, Ore./Cleveland)
7: Caleb Cowles (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor)
6: Archie Drummond (Twickenham, London, U.K.)
5: Matt Peters (Reading, England, U.K.)
4: Michael Thiers (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt)
3: Louis Gallia IV (Sacramento, Calif./Jesuit)
2: Owen Malone IV (Alexandria, Va./Gonzaga College High School)
Bow: Giulio Acernese (Rome, Italy)
Varsity Four
Shell: Lou Gellermann
Stroke: Luca Unkovic (Paris, France/Redwood (Calif.))
3: Colin Kwiecinski (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier)
2: Austin Regier (Burien, Wash./Mount Rainier)
Bow: Abe Eligator (Larchmont, N.Y./Mamaroneck)
Cox: Thomas Wenk (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier)