No. 3 Wisconsin men's rowing won its first W Cup in the 11 years of the trophy's existence when it defeated No. 2 Washington on Lake Mendota Saturday morning.
With stormy weather predicted, the crews had good racing conditions. A head wind of 8-10 miles per hour greeted the teams' varsity eights, as did flat water, cloudy skies and temperatures near 50 degrees.
The Huskies got the edge off the start line and took a three-seat lead in the first 200 meters. The teams settled into their race rhythm by 200 meters and from there, the Badgers crept up on the defending champions. Wisconsin drew even by 400 meters and steadily gained ground until 1,200 meters, where it put open water between itself and its guest. The Huskies made a move near 1,500 meters to close the gap to six seats by 1,700 meters, but the Badgers pushed the last 200 meters to win by just under a boat length. Wisconsin won in 6:09.1, while Washington finished the 2,000-meter course in 6:12.0.
\It was a surprisingly good race for us,"" Head Coach Chris Clark said. ""The weather has not cooperated so far all of April, therefore I had no idea what to expect. Washington has the elements and tools this year and in the future to be one of the greatest collegiate crews ever. We were lucky to win today.""
Despite the Badgers' second straight victory over Washington, it was the first victory in the race for the W Cup for Wisconsin since the event began in 1993. Washington had won each of the 10 previous races for the half cardinal, half purple W trophy. The Badgers defeated the Huskies in the 2002 Intercollegiate Rowing Association's national championship race to finish second in the country after dropping the W Cup earlier in the season last year.
Wisconsin returns to home water for the third consecutive week next weekend when it takes part in the Midwest Rowing Championships. Racing will take place on Lake Wingra Saturday, April 26. The tentative schedule includes heats beginning at 6:30 a.m., with racing continuing until 5 p.m.
