The Washington men’s varsity eight crew won against rival California on Apr. 25 at The Dual in Redwood Shores, securing the Schoch Cup in a close race.
This annual matchup is considered the biggest men’s rowing rivalry in the west, with Washington and California ranked No. 1 and No. 2 respectively. The event drew significant attention from alumni, family, and friends who came out to support both teams.
Washington’s varsity eight crossed the finish line just ahead of California by 1.4 seconds, maintaining a narrow lead after overtaking Cal early in the race. “It was an exciting atmosphere at Redwood Shores today and it seemed like the epicenter of college rowing world with the No. 1 and 2 men’s programs racing and the No. 1 and 2 women’s programs racing,” said head coach Michael Callahan.
Callahan also noted strong support for his team: “We really appreciate the strong turnout by the Husky faithful. We’ve never had so many alumni, family and friends here to support the race at Redwood Shores. It certainly was uplifting for our guys in the last 500 meters.” He added, “This isn’t our home water, but they made it feel that way.” In addition to winning both first and second varsity eight races, Washington lost narrowly to Cal in third and fourth varsity eights as well as freshman eights.
The Huskies’ victory marked their 79th win over Cal out of their total of 114 meetings since this rivalry began in 1903. The Schoch Cup is named after Delos “Dutch” Schoch from Washington’s class of 1936.
Looking ahead, Callahan said: “It’s certainly not going to get any easier taking on the Olympic champions and Northeastern next week on Montlake Cut,” referring to upcoming races against international teams during Windermere Cup weekend.
