UW Earns One Win, Two Seconds Vs. Yale & Brown

SARASOTA, Fla. – On a day that featured four close races among three of the nation's top college men's rowing teams, the Washington men earned one win and two second-place finishes vs. Yale and Brown Saturday at Nathan Benderson Park.
 
The Huskies won the third varsity eight race while finishing second to Yale in the varsity eight and second to Brown in the second varsity eight. The UW also finished third in a four-boat, fourth varsity eight race.
 
"We had a good base speed, and were able to close races out well," UW head coach Michael Callahan said. "It was a good start to the season and we're on a good trajectory.
 
"It was really an exciting way to start the season," Callahan continued. "To be able to travel cross-country to a true rowing destination and then to race top competition like Brown and Yale, who were second and third at IRAs last year, is a terrific opportunity."
 
The varsity eight race was close throughout. The Bulldogs, ranked No. 2 in the initial IRCA Heavyweight Varsity 8+ poll of the year, took the lead from the start, with No. 5 Brown second and No. 6 UW third through the first 1,000 meters of the race. 
 
As the race entered its final stages, the Huskies moved on Brown and into third, with all three shells remaining in contact. Yale maintained its lead, but could break free as the UW crew, featuring three newcomers to the program, finished about half of a length back, with a bit of open water back to third-place Brown.
 
Yale won the varsity eight race in 5:27.90 with UW second in 5:29.01. Brown was another five seconds back, in 5:34.08.
 
Brown won the second varsity race in a time of 5:33.19, ahead of the Washington 2V8+, which finished in 5:36.83. Yale was third in 5:38.53.
 
Washington's third varsity eight, coxed by Kieran Joyce and stroked by Redmond's Max Mason, won its race, which was another close one. The Huskies finished with a time of 5:34.47, less than one second in front of Yale (5:36.81), with Brown (5:39.64) in third. The UW 3V8+ time was a second faster than the Huskies' 2V8+.
 
The fourth varsity eight race featured two entries from Brown, so four boats in all. Yale took the lead from the start with the Brown "A" boat in second and Washington – with an all freshman crew – third. In the latter stages of the race, the UW boat challenged the Brown crew for second, drawing even in the final 500. 
 
Yale won the 4V8+ race in 5:45.19, with a few seats of open water over Brown "A", which was just over half a second ahead of UW in third.
 
"This was a great collaboration between these three programs," Callahan said. "Brown and Yale were gracious to include us in their traditional cup race – the Albert Cup – and at a neutral site for all three of us. We were also able to explore Benderson Park as a possible site for future IRAs."
 
Next Saturday, April 8, the Huskies will travel to Dexter Lake in Oregon for the Covered Bridge Regatta, which will culminated with a dual regatta vs. Oregon State.
 
WASHINGTON LINEUPS
 
Varsity Eight
Shell: Challenger
Cox: Nick Dunlop (Sydney, Australia)
Stroke: Darcy McCluskey (Brisbane, Australia)
7: Jack Walkey (Victoria, B.C., Canada)
6: Logan Ullrich (Auckland, New Zealand)
5: Povilas Juskevicius (Kaunus, Lithuania)
4: Cameron Tasker (Norwich, England, U.K.)
3: Robert Pluijmert (Dieren, The Netherlands)
2: Joel Cullen (Chilliwack, B.C./Sardis/UBC)
Bow: Max Heid (Seattle, Wash./Seattle Prep)
 
Second Varsity Eight
Shell: Carl Lovsted
Cox: Zach Casler (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor)
Stroke: Michael Thiers (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt)
7: Jonathan Wang-Norderud (Oslo, Norway)
6: Ryan Smith (Hannover, Germany)
5: Blake Vogel (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic)
4: Pablo Matan (San Jose, Calif./Bellarmine Prep)
3: Adam Krol (Toronto, Ont., Canada)
2: Ben Shortt (Auckland, New Zealand)
Bow: Blake Bradshaw (Auckland, New Zealand)
 
Third Varsity Eight
Cox: Kieran Joyce (Hamilton, New Zealand)
Stroke: Max Mason (Redmond, Wash./Redmond)
7: Luke Henry (Bellevue, Wash./Singapore American) 
6: Gus Altucher (Portland, Ore./Cleveland)
5: Ethan Blight (Auckland, New Zealand)
4: Archie Drummond (Twickenham, London, U.K.)
3: Harry Fitzpatrick (Auckland, New Zealand)
2: Marius Ahlsand (Oslo, Norway)
Bow: Giulio Acernese (Rome, Italy)
 
Fourth Varsity Eight
Cox: Tess Kadian (West Bloomfield, Mich./West Bloomfield)
Stroke: Finn Griskauskas (Chesterfield, Mo./Marquette)
7: Oliver Black (Sacramento, Calif./Jesuit)
6: Nick Smyth (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills)
5: Ryan Martin (Newport Beach, Calif./Pacifica Christian)
4: Lyle Donovan (Milton, Ga./Cambridge)
3: Marc Tennesen (Seattle, Wash./Lincoln)
2. Tommy Igo (Alameda, Calif./Alameda)
Bow: Max Taylor (Brisbane, Australia)