The No. 3 UW men’s varsity crew fell just short this weekend in dual meet races against a couple of the nation’s best teams: Stanford and Wisconsin.

The Huskies’ first varsity eight boat lost to the Cardinal in Redwood Shores, Calif., Friday by less than five seconds and then missed an upset opportunity by a mere two seconds against the Badgers Saturday.

“We experimented with the lineup of the top boat this weekend,” said men’s head coach Michael Callahan. “We learned where we stand versus two of the nation’s top programs and identified areas where we need to improve.”

The results weren’t all bad for the Huskies, though, as the second varsity and freshman boats were victorious in both of their head-to-head matches. The freshmen rowed dominating races and stayed unbeaten this season.

“Our second varsity and freshman crews showed the depth in our program by winning both days of racing,” Callahan said.

There are a lot of positives to be taken from the weekend, even in the losses by the Huskies’ top boat.

Ranked No. 5 and No. 2, respectively, Stanford and Wisconsin have two of the best collegiate rowing programs in the nation and have given the Dawgs something to train for in preparation for the NCAA championships.

“I was pleased with the effort and spirit of our student-athletes, and our ultimate goal remains the same,” Callahan said.

This upcoming weekend will see the Huskies racing against another one of the nation’s best: Pac-10 rival California, with a men’s team that is No. 1 in the nation.

The UW women’s team will be back in action as well against the Golden Bears after having this weekend off. Ranked No. 3 in the nation, Cal’s women’s crew should offer quite the challenge as well.

The races will be taking place 9 a.m. Saturday on the Montlake Cut.

Reach reporter Scott Eisen at sports@dailyuw.com.