SEATTLE – Coming off its record fifth straight and 18th overall IRA National Championship, UW men’s crew will participate in the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta July 1-5 in Oxfordshire, England, to cap off a historic 2015 season.

“This is really the Wimbledon of rowing, ” Washington men’s rowing head coach Michael Callahan said. “This is one of the most well-respected regattas in the world. Every rower has this on his bucket list. Just to have the chance to compete at Henley is really special, and to win is a lifetime achievement.”

UW men’s crew is requesting entry for its National Championship varsity eight in the Ladies Challenge Plate. The Huskies will row the recently christened and state-of-the-art John. N. Nordstrom boat, named for alum and longtime donor John N. Nordstrom who rowed under legendary coach Al Ulbrickson with the 1958 crew in the Huskies’ first trip to Henley. UW fell to the eventual Grand Challenge Cup champion Soviet Union crew.

“We have a lot of history at this regatta going back to 1958, and it seems fitting that we row a boat named for one of the original Huskies at Henley, ” Callahan said. “We’re so grateful to Mr. Nordstrom and all the other alumni who created this tradition and continue to be a part of Washington Rowing.”

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The Huskies will also request entry in the Prince Albert Challenge Cup (coxed fours) and the Visitors’ Challenge Cup (coxless fours). Both are events for collegiate entries.

This will be the Huskies 13th appearance at Henley all-time since the regatta began in 1839.

The Huskies will take a large portion of the 2015 senior class that completed four years of nearly undefeated racing at Washington. The same class won the 2012 Temple Challenge Cup at Henley as a freshman eight, making the trip back to Henley in 2015 a career capstone.

“I took this group when they were freshman in 2012, so this will be a really special way for us to conclude our time together, ” Callahan said. “They’ve earned this with a lot of hard work at Washington. It means a lot because many of these guys are putting aside their national team aspirations and other opportunities as they graduate for another month so they can row as Huskies one last time.”

The Henley Royal Regatta is the most well known regatta in the world. Founded in 1839, the format at Henley features head-to-head knockout racing over a 1 mile, 550-yard course (2, 112 meters). It attracts thousands of visitors over a five-day period as spectators can watch over 200 world-class level races from a field that includes Olympians and national teams.