BOSTON – A day after senior Ben Davison became the first Husky to win the men's championship singles, a Washington crew finished ninth out of 32 entries in the men's championship eights at the 54th annual Head of the Charles Regatta Sunday, finishing fifth among collegiate entries.
 
The Huskies completed the three-mile course on the Charles River in 15:15.800, about 21 seconds behind the United States national team, which won the race in 14:49.616. Yale finished second and Brown was third, with two Dutch national team entries and a second U.S. boat finishing in front of the Huskies.
 
"It was really great to see such good competition this early in the season. We won't see most of these universities until the IRA," UW men's coach Michael Callahan said. "It was the classic learning experience for our younger guys, most of whom have never rowed on the Charles before. We're going home with lessons learned and work to be done.
 
On Saturday, Davison beat a field packed with experienced international scullers, with numerous Olympics and World Championships veterans among them.
 
"We were extremely excited with Ben's performance in the single," Callahan said. "He has put in the hours and this demonstrated his perseverance in pursuing a bigger goal. It's now time to incorporate him back into the bigger team along with our other student-athletes who needed a break after a late senior world championship this year.
 
"The Charles always helps us build motivation and attitude for the year," Callahan concluded. "Now it's time to get to work."
 
Sunday, Washington's eight started quickly, as the Huskies' first split, at the Riverside Boat Club, was actually slightly faster than the winning U.S. crew and sixth-fastest in the field. The Huskies were running fifth at the Weld Boathouse and sixth at the Cambridge Boat Club, the second and third of three checkpoints.
 
Former two-time UW captain Arne Landboe '18 rowed in the U.S. national team B entry, which finished one spot ahead of the Huskies.
 
The UW men's team's only remaining competition of the fall comes in two weeks, when the Huskies host the Head of the Lake on Sunday, Nov. 4.
 
UW LINEUPS
 
Men's Championship Single
Ben Davison, Sr., Inverness, Fla.
 
Men's Championship Eight
Cox: Kimmons Wilson, Sr., Orlando, Fla.
Stroke: Andrew Gaard, Sr., Madison, Wis.
7: Michiel Mantel, Sr., Amsterdam, Netherlands
6: Samuel Halbert, Jr., Redmond, Wash.
5: Steve Rosts, So., Jordan, Ontario, Canada
4: Philipp Nonnast, Sr., Frankfurt, Germany
3: George Esau, Jr., Long Lake, Minn.
2: David Bridges, Jr., Portland, Ore.
Bow: Max Rennie, Sr., Denilquin, Australia