Originally published Monday, March 2, 2009 at 12:00 AM

UW men's eight makes history on the Thames

Washington men's rowers made history Sunday, becoming the first American university eight to row the Boat Race course against Oxford in...

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LONDON — Washington men's rowers made history Sunday, becoming the first American university eight to row the Boat Race course against Oxford in a pre-Boat Race fixture.

The men's varsity eight rowed two roughly 10-minute pieces along the 4 ½-mile course on the Tideway section of the Thames, losing both to an Oxford crew stacked with five Olympians.

"It was a real street fight," said Huskies men's coach Michael Callahan. "We're really excited about how we performed today. We were strong through the first five to six minutes of both races. Oxford is a big, powerful crew with five Olympians and three medalists."

Washington built up a six-seat lead in the first piece before Oxford started drawing back. The Blue turned up the pressure on Washington in the Surrey bend, gaining a full-length advantage on the inside of the turn. By the nine-minute mark, the Blue was up two lengths and there was little the Huskies could do but hold. Oxford crossed the first finish line in about 10:40, with Washington about nine seconds back.

"We were really eager in the first piece," said Callahan. "We weren't quite able to settle down."

After a 10-minute break, the two boats lined up again. The Huskies again took an early lead, but saw it diminish to just two seats coming out of the bend. Oxford made a strong push and crossed the finish with about a foot of open water separating the crews.

"This was just such an incredible experience for us," said Callahan. "To be a part of the oldest intercollegiate sporting event in the world, The Boat Race, is just amazing.

"We're so thankful to Oxford for having us come over to do this. They were great hosts and we hope we were able to help them prepare for the Boat Race.

From team reports.

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