The WSU women’s varsity rowing team will take a trip to Lane County, Oregon to compete against the Oregon State Beavers on Saturday.

Before their last meet on March 6 against the No. 1 Washington Huskies, the Cougar rowing team had not competed in an event for 490 days due to COVID-19 delaying their season.

Unfortunately for the Cougars, their matchup against the defending National Champions resulted in a loss on Lake Las Vegas in Henderson, Nevada. However, WSU now has a chance to rebound against the Beavers on March 20.

In their previous competition, WSU was swept by Washington in all three races: the varsity eight, second varsity eight and varsity four.

The Huskies gained a lead in the first 1,000 meters of every race and never gave it up. This was tough for the Cougars, who came in several boat lengths behind Washington in all three races.

As for the Beavers, this will be their first dual of the season.

The Cougars dropped out of the national rankings after their loss to the top-ranked team in the nation, but still received 34 votes for the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association’s top 20. The Cougars were previously ranked 19th in the preseason polls.

Following the Oregon State dual, WSU will attend the Pac-12 Invitational in Las Vegas on April 10, and a week later will be out of conference for the Big Ten Invitational in Bethel, Ohio.

The Cougars will host Oregon State on May 1 at Wawawai Landing before attending the Pac-12 Championships at Sacramento State Aquatic Center in Gold River, California later that month.

If all goes well, the team will be making an appearance in the 2021 NCAA Rowing Championships in Sarasota, Florida.