July 1, 2003 HENLEY, England - One of two Washington men's crews that traveled to England last week begins competition Wednesday at the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta on the Thames River. The Huskies' four with coxswain takes on England's Agecroft Rowing Club in the early evening Wednesday (9:50 a.m. Pacific Time). The victor meets the winner of the matchup between Reading University and the Henley Rowing Club. There is a 32-boat field of fours vying for the Britannia Challenge Cup. The only other college entries from the United States meet immediately as Virginia and Tulane are first-round combatants. The single elimination competition continues with races each day culminating in Sunday's championship. Washington's four includes coxswain Chris O'Brien along with Scott Gault, John Taylor, Jeff Jorgensen and Mathew Kopicky. All five athletes were members of the Huskies' junior varsity eight during the 2003 season. The 164th renewal of the regatta that began in 1839 features a unique match-race format with two boats racing side-by-side. The winner advances to the next round while the loser is eliminated. The course is a straight one-mile, 550-yard stretch (2,112 meters) on the Thames River. Washington's varsity eight crew sees its first action later in the week, either Thursday or more likely Friday. The time schedule for the eight-boat Ladies Challenge Plate field has not yet been announced. The Huskies' have a first-round meeting against a crew made up of rowers from the Nottingham & Union Rowing Club and the London Rowing Club. The winner advances to the semifinals to meet either the Molesey Boat Club & Imperial College combined entry or the Frankfurter crew from Germany. U.S. collegiate crews Rutgers and Dartmouth meet in the other half of the bracket. The UW eight won the Pac-10 championship and was the runner-up at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships. The crew includes coxswain Ryan Marks along with Ian Sawyer, John Lorton, Marko Petrovic, Brett Newlin, Giuseppe Lanzone, Kyle Larson, Sam Burns and Andy Derrick. This is the first Henley appearance for the Husky men since 1997 when the varsity eight lost by one foot in the championship race to the Notts County & Oxford Brookes crew that served as the British National lightweight eight. Henley results and other racing information is available at the official regatta website -- Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta
Britannia Challenge Cup (men's fours with coxswain)
Thursday, July 3
Washington Lineup:
Saturday, July 5
Washington Lineup:
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