The No. 4 Washington women's rowing team heads into a busy weekend as the UW will play host to the Husky Open and send four women's boats to Redwood Shores, Calif. to face a strong field of competition in the Pac-12 Challenge.
 
PAC-12 CHALLENGE
Over the course of the two-day Pac-12 Challenge Regatta, the UW women will compete against five of the top ten collegiate rowing programs in NCAA Division I Women's Rowing.
 
On Saturday, April 1, the races will be split into two sessions. The morning session will start at 9:00 a.m. PT and the afternoon session begins at 3:00 p.m. PT.
 
The Stanford Cardinal, who currently rank as the No. 10 team in the nation, are the host of the regatta. They finished third in the varsity eight grand final at last season's championship while placing fourth as a team (just one point ahead of the UW). Washington will race Stanford only once in the second varsity four.
 
The Huskies begin the morning session with three races against No. 2 ranked Ohio State. The Buckeyes, who have been to the past 17 NCAA championships and have a total of seven Big Ten Championships, have won three of the last four National Championships and took second-place last year on Lake Natoma. The Huskies will race OSU in the varsity eight, the second varsity eight and the varsity four.
 
Washington will finish up the morning session with a second varsity four race against the defending national champions - the California Golden Bears.
 
Washington will also face No. 3 ranked Michigan in three separate races (V8+, 2V8+, V4+) during the afternoon session. The Wolverines finished in 10th place at last years National Championship race and took third in the Big Ten championships behind Ohio State.
 
The Huskies will finish the regatta on Sunday, April 2 when they will take on No. 3 Virginia in the varsity eight, second varsity eight, and varsity four. Virginia placed third at last years NCAA Championships and finished fifth in the varsity eight grand final.
 
Here is the schedule of races involving the UW at Redwood Shores:
 
Morning Session (Saturday, April 1)
9:10 a.m. PT – V8, Washington vs. Ohio State
9:40 a.m. PT – 2V8, Washington vs. Ohio State
10:00 a.m. PT – V4, Washington vs. Ohio State
10:30 a.m. PT – 2V4, Washington vs. California
 
Afternoon Session (Saturday, April 1)
3:00 p.m. PT – V8, Washington vs. Michigan
3:50 p.m. PT – 2V8, Washington vs. Michigan
4:10 p.m. PT – V4, Washington vs. Michigan
4:30 p.m. PT – 2V4, Washington vs. Stanford
 
Sunday, April 2
9:20 a.m. PT – V8, Washington vs. Virginia
9:30 a.m. PT – 2V8, Washington vs. Virginia
10:00 a.m. PT – V4, Washington vs. Virginia
10:40 a.m. PT – 2V4, Washington vs. California
 
 
THE HUSKY OPEN
Both the UW men and women will race in the Husky Open, a regatta that also features both masters and youth races.
 
The Washington women will feature three boats at the Husky Open, racing in the collegiate varsity eight, the second varsity eight, and the varsity four. However, they will be sending their top boats down to Redwood Shores to race in the Pac-12 Challenge.
 
The UW will race against the likes of Lewis and Clark College, the University of Puget Sound, and Washington State among others.
 
See the link at the upper right of this release for the full Husky Open schedule (masters and youths included).
 
LIVE STREAM & OTHER COVERAGE
Collegiate races from the Husky Open will stream live on Facebook. By rule, the youth races may not be streamed over the Internet, though fans in attendance at the races will be able watch the video coverage via closed-circuit. Fans can also follow the races via the HereNow.com live results and via Twitter: @UW_Rowing.

RACE VIEWING
Fans are encouraged to watch the Husky Open from the Canoe House at the east end of the Montlake Cut, from the Montlake Bridge or and at the finish line at the west end of the Cut. More information available here.