The Washington men’s rowing team won both the Bolles Cup and the Paup Cup on Mar. 27, defeating Harvard and Stanford in the opening day of the Sarasota 2K at Nathan Benderson Park.
These victories mark a strong start to the Huskies’ 2026 season, with Washington ranked No. 1 nationally. The event saw Washington win three out of four races: varsity eight, second varsity eight, and fourth varsity eight. The only loss came in the third varsity eight race, where Harvard finished ahead.
In the main event for both cups—the varsity eight—Washington’s crew led from early on but faced consistent pressure from Harvard throughout. The Huskies maintained their advantage to finish first with a time of 5:33.26, just over one and a half seconds ahead of Harvard. Stanford placed third in that race.
The second varsity eight also saw close competition between Washington and Harvard, but Washington held off its rival to secure victory by about five seats with a time of 5:41.85. In other events, Washington’s fourth crew took first place against competitors from Harvard and Brown.
The Bolles Cup is awarded to the winner of the annual UW-Harvard dual race and honors Tom Bolles—a former Husky oarsman who became head coach at Harvard after coaching Olympic champions at UW. The Paup Cup recognizes achievements between UW and Stanford crews; it is named after Everett Pete Paup, who was associated with both programs as an athlete and supporter until his passing in December 2024.
Looking ahead, Washington will compete again Saturday for the Benderson Cup against teams including Brown, Yale, Northeastern—as well as rematches with Harvard and Stanford.
