Two Husky men’s crews headed to the Henley Royal Regatta

The Washington men’s rowing team is sending two crews to compete in the 176th Henley Royal Regatta, which begins June 27 in Henley-on-Thames, England.

The Huskies row in the Temple Challenge Cup for college eights and the Prince Albert Challenge Cup for college fours.

Here’s the summary:

Men’s events:

Temple Challenge Cup (8+) 32 entrants start on Tuesday 27th June
Prince Albert Challenge Cup (4+) 16 entries open Wednesday June 28th

The draw for the 2023 regatta will be held on Saturday, June 24, when the schedule of the regatta will be determined. At Henley, crews are split into pairs in match races and compete in a knock-out game on the 2,112-metre race course on the River Thames. In each case, the winning crews will advance until a champion is named in each category. While other crews must qualify in two events, Washington has been awarded a spot in both classes and is not required to qualify.

The regatta hosts an excellent live video stream of all events on its YouTube channel. Once the draw is completed, the full schedule will be posted on this page as well as linked to UW Rowing’s various social media channels.

Washington has a long history with Henley, which began featuring women’s races in 2000.
Although the regatta itself is much older, the event was first held in 1839, but UW has been making history on the Thames for more than six decades.

Sixty-five years ago, Washington’s ’58 crew lost on UW’s first trip to Henley in the Grand Challenge Cup final, but the Huskies got their revenge on the Trud Leningrad Club (Soviet national team) a few weeks later. in a historic rematch in Moscow, one of the marquee events in UW athletics history.

In 1977, Washington’s men won the Grand Challenge Cup, Henley’s top prize, beating the British team (rowing as Leander and Thames Tradesmen). The Huskies were the first American varsity team from a non-Ivy League school to win Henley’s oldest and most prestigious trophy.

In 2018, the UW men’s eight finished third in the Temple Challenge Cup, breaking the event record by five seconds. Washington’s men also won the Prince Albert Challenge Cup in 2015.

Last year, a long list of UW men’s and women’s crews competed at Henley, with the UW men’s straight four winning the Visitors’ Challenge Cup.

Huskies in Henley History

Here is a list of UW wins at Henley Royal Regatta:

1977 Grand Challenge Cup (Men’s Eight)
1977 Visitors’ Challenge Cup (men’s trackless fours)
1981 Ladies Challenge Plate (Men’s Eight)
2000 Henley Award (Women’s Eight)
2003 Ladies Challenge Plate (Men’s Eight)
2010 Temple Challenge Cup (Men’s Eight)
2012 Temple Challenge Cup (Men’s Eight)
2015 Prince Albert Challenge Cup (Men’s Quad)
2018 Temple Challenge Cup (Men’s Eight)
2022 Visitors’ Challenge Cup (Men’s Off-Road Four Series)
Other appearances: 1958, 1973, 1984, 1995, 1997, 2013

Note: UW alumni have competed and won at Henley on several occasions, rowing for non-UW. The above list includes only those crews that won their trophies under the University of Washington name.