The UW freshmen class men’s crew team won the George M. Varnell trophy in a closely contested 107th annual class day race. On the women’s side, the junior class came out on top, winning the Seattle Times Trophy with a time of 7:00.35.

The men’s tightly fought race was subject to many lead changes, but the freshman boat pulled away in the third 500-meter stretch, finishing with a time of 6:04.74. They were closely followed by the sophomores (6:08.08) and a senior team comprised of the coxswain and six members of last year’s winning squad (6.09.65). The juniors finished with a time of 6:12.25.

“Personally, I felt that it was one of the best races I’ve ever been in.” freshman Hans Struzyna said. “It was the best row we’ve ever done together. … I’m really excited to see where we can go from there.”

In the women’s race, the junior class boat caught and passed the sophomores halfway through the race, winning with a time of 7:00.35. The sophomores finished in a time of 7:06.43 followed by the seniors (7:11.77) and the freshmen (7:26.20).

“Having this win at the beginning of the season is very motivating for upcoming races and is a good omen of what’s to come,” said junior sixth-seat Rachel Powers.

A freshman boat won the men’s Varsity-Freshman challenge with a time of 6:16.67. The group was followed by a varsity team who finished in 6:27.64 and a freshman team (6:35.53).

However, on the women’s side, the varsity boat blew by the pack, finishing the Varsity-Novice Challenge 20 seconds ahead of the next best competitor with a time of 7:06.45. The team was followed by a novice boat (7:27.36), a varsity boat (7:42.63) and another novice boat (8:14.60).

The UW women’s crew team has undergone some changes this year, as former Washington men’s coach Bob Ernst took over the women’s coaching position. Ernst led the men’s team to a national championship in 2007 and has been coaching the men’s team for the last 20 years. The men’s team will be coached by former freshman coach Michael Callahan, who was promoted in July.

After the races, awards were distributed and the team captains were announced. The captains for the 2008 season will be senior Andrew Beaton for the men and senior Ashley Jones for the women.

Sophomore Simon Taylor and Sarah Martin won the “Most Inspirational” awards.

“I’m pretty happy,” Taylor said. “To tell you the truth, I was pretty surprised.”

The Schaller Scholarship, given to the rowers with the highest GPAs, was presented to sophomore Line Larson and junior Bronson Kolde.

Up next, the Huskies will head to California to compete in the San Diego Crew Classic Saturday.

[Reach reporter Zach Ruby at sports@thedaily.washington.edu.]