The No. 14 WSU women’s rowing team is set to compete at the Clemson Invite this weekend in Clemson, South Carolina.

This will be the first cross country trip of the spring season for the Cougars, though this will be their third time at the invite.

Twenty other teams will be present, including ranked teams such as No. 10 Michigan, No. 13 Indiana, No. 17 Harvard and No. 19 Syracuse. The high participation in the invite will lead to large races with as many as seven teams competing head to head at once.

WSU brought home several top three finishes last year at Clemson. The Cougars went into the invite ranked No.10 in the nation. The third varsity eight edged out Louisville for first place finishing at 6:59.0, nearly eight seconds ahead of second place.

“Our ultimate goal is to be at the NCAA Championships at the end of May, and we get to see a lot of top, quality, teams and seven-boat races,” Head Coach Jane LaRiviere said. “With a three-race weekend, it’s got to be internal and it’s got to be about improving small things each time you go out.”

Competition for the Cougars will begin start at 8:46 a.m., which will be the equivalent to a 5:46 a.m. start for those residing on the West Coast. WSU will battle over three days in the waters of Lake Hartwell.

Reporting by Payton Dineen