The Washington men's and women's crew team head to Redwood Shores, Calif., this weekend for the Windermere Classic, one of the most exciting events of the season. All teams will be facing top-quality opponents from some of the best schools in the nation.

After falling to WSU last weekend, the women's varsity rowers will be looking to prove themselves against Louisville, Virginia and Central Florida this weekend. The women are No. 10 in the latest collegiate coaches' poll, having received one first-place vote as well.

The men, who are No. 1 in the nation in the coaches' poll, are looking forward to the races this weekend and the challenges that they will bring. Saturday morning, they race against Wisconsin, and take on defending national champion Trinity University in the afternoon, while the freshman boat races against Gonzaga. Sunday will feature a race between the top two teams in the country when the Huskies match up against No. 2 Stanford.

"This is the first really big race of the year," UW men's coach Bob Ernst said. "We're going to have three really good races in two days, and who knows how they're going to turn out?"

Conditions will hopefully be better than they were at Pullman last weekend, where races were delayed due to strong crosswinds, which adversely affected some of the crews.

"We had very challenging conditions during all races, with some big waves," women's coach Eleanor McElvaine said. "Some stepped up and did a good job, and others were taken out of their game."

The event in California will give the men's team a chance to experience competition at the high level that has come to be expected of Washington over the years.

"Events like this, where we're competing with the best teams in the nation, are the reason why people come to the UW to row," Ernst said. "It's going to be a great regatta."

Reach reporter Risa Pavia at sports@thedaily.washington.edu.