The WSU rowing team will be on the prowl again this week, this time against the University of Washington at the Head of the Lake regatta. The regatta takes on Sunday, Nov. 2 and concludes the fall season.

Coming off of a strong showing in last weekend’s Head of the Spokane regatta, the Cougars have put in practice hours on the Snake River in addition to a workout regimen in order to prepare for their first race against Pac-12 competition this season.

Coaches and rowers looked back on the Head of the Spokane for areas they can improve at the Head of the Lake.

“I think just to follow up and be more consistent and be more internal,” junior Jordan Watson said.

“We are just looking to put together a complete race. I think there was a lot of reel highlights but there were was definitely a couple times when there was a loss in concentration, or rhythm or any number of things,” Head Coach Jane LaRiviere said. “We have a good plan in place this week and we are working on the things that will make it more of a response … they will be ready.”

The Cougars look to have their strongest race of the fall season before it comes to a close.

“Just an execution of how we have been going in practice,” Watson said when asked what the team’s perfect race on Saturday would look like. “Just really nice long strokes, really consistent and a lot of power.”

Concluding the fall season with the largest fall regatta on the west coast will give WSU the chance to gauge where they stand in divisional competition. This, in turn, will tell them what needs to be done over the winter in order to return to the NCAA championships for the fifth time in six years.

“The fall season is our baseline for our spring season. Each race that we compete in is a way for us to track how our training is progressing and how we are developing as a team,” junior Morgan Cathrea said. “I think personally over the winter I want to see people push themselves. It’s always exciting to see your teammates accomplish the goals that they have set for themselves. And by doing that, if everyone works on the little goals that they want to attain then we can make it to our big goal as a whole.”

The Head of the Lake regatta has remained the focus of the fall season for WSU and is another step needed to progress towards the team’s spring goals.

“It’s the race we focus on in the fall. It will be our first time seeing Pac-12 competition … I think it’s going to be really fun,” LaRiviere said. “It’s definitely a big event and it’s great for the women on our team to deal with the chaos and early mornings, that kind of stuff.”

The course begins on Lake Union and continues east through the Montlake Cut to Lake Washington, ending near UW’s Conibear Shellhouse. The course also includes a difficult turn near the end.

“It’s definitely a coxswain course,” LaRiviere said. “You can gain a lot of time or lose a lot of time and I am feeling really good about where our coxswains are so it will be exciting.”

The stiff competition, large race, and challenging course are parts of what make the Head of the Lake the focal point of the fall season.

“It’s the most competitive race. UW is going to be there and that is always our main competition,” LaRiviere said. “They’re awesome and we are going to go see how we stack up against them and hope that we get our best race that we are capable of.”