The Washington crew teams will compete in their final regatta of the fall this Sunday at the Head of the Lake on the Montlake Cut.

Along with the Husky men’s and women’s crew, this regional event will feature thousands of rowers from all levels of competition.

As for the UW, the teams will be facing collegiate competition from in-state rivals Washington State and Gonzaga as well as Canadian teams, including the University of Victoria, which recently finished second in the Canadian rowing championships.

Since the regatta is just off the shores of campus, the Huskies will be sending out more boats than usual, giving all team members competitive experience.

“We try to let everybody row in this race, because not everybody gets to go on the away trips,” said Bob Ernst, women’s coach and program coordinator.

With the biggest intercollegiate rowing team in the world and 100 years of tradition behind the program, the Huskies come into the regatta appearing to be as strong as ever.

“Right now we have eight world champions,” Ernst said. “We truly have an exceptional amount of athletes on both teams.”

Both crew teams have performed very well this year, including a men’s first place finish at the Head of the Charles regatta three weeks ago. In that race, they defeated 37 teams, including all Ivy League schools. The women performed strong as well, finishing second amongst college teams and 6th overall.

“We have a really special bunch of guys this year, and the women are coming along really well,” Ernst said.

Reach reporter Scott Eisen at sports@dailyuw.com.