To dual or to duel: Men’s, women’s teams to take on Washington
Men’s crew:
Cal and Washington rowing have a rivalry that has lasted through both World Wars, dating back to 1903.
Cal men’s rowing is welcoming the Huskies to Redwood Shores on Saturday to participate in the 110th annual Dual. The winner of the Dual is awarded the Schoch Cup. In the past century, the two schools have put up a record of 76-32-1, with Washington leading. This Cal-UW Dual is the oldest rowing rivalry on the West Coast; what’s at stake is not only the Schoch Cup but the historic pride of it as well.
“We will always gauge where we are at this point in the season off of how we do in our Dual against Washington,” said men’s head coach Scott Frandsen. “That’s (our) traditional rival. I love our rivalry; it makes both programs better.”
For the past three Duals, the Huskies have come out victorious. Last year, the Bears headed up North to Montlake Cut and lost four out of five races. At the time, Washington was ranked No. 1, while Cal sat at No. 2. This year, however, the tables have turned, with Cal still at No. 2 and Washington dropping to the No. 3 spot. Will this year’s Dual come out in favor of the Bears?
From the performance of both teams at the Pac-12 challenge two weeks ago, the Dual is expected to be a close call. Although the two schools did not row in the same races, both capped out on wins, coming out first in every race each participated in.
“The focus needs to be on how we execute our race internally — whether our guys can stay composed in those pressurized moments and do exactly what we’ve been trained to do,” Frandsen said.
Women’s crew:
Cal women’s crew has a slightly shorter history with the Huskies, dating back to 1977. Washington has a slight lead over Cal, with an overall record of 24-20. However, In the past 17 Duals, the blue and gold have won 15 times.
Last year, though, sharing a similar fate to the men’s team, Cal women’s crew lost all four of its races against the Huskies. Before the Dual last year, UW occupied the No. 1 spot, with Cal sitting at No. 5. This year, things are looking extremely different, with Cal at No. 7 and Washington at No. 10.
Although the Dual is determined by who wins the varsity eight race, the Bears will be sending a total of five boats to Redwood Shores on Saturday. This includes the V8+, 2V8+, 3V8+, novice 8+ and V4+.
The women’s team will kick-start the Dual at 10 a.m. Saturday, ahead of a full day of racing.
Madison Lee covers men’s and women’s crew. Contact her at madisonlee@dailycal.org.