Huskies will challenge in competitive varsity eight field at IRA regatta

If two's company and three's a crowd, then a potential mob scene looms at the finish line when the men's varsity eight grand final is contested Saturday in the 107th International Rowing Association championship regatta.

The three-day competition, which starts at 8 a.m. today with qualifying heats on Lake Natoma in Rancho Cordova, Calif., near Sacramento, features at least six contenders for the men's V8 title, from top-ranked California through sixth-ranked Washington.

At the Pac-10 championships May 17 on the same lake, Cal defeated second-place Stanford and third-place Washington in a tight race.

The Huskies, however, demonstrated that Cal is not invincible by upending the Golden Bears by nearly a boat length on the Montlake Cut on April 25 during their annual dual meet.

Other ranked crews — No. 2 Brown, No. 3 Stanford, No. 4 Harvard and No. 5 Wisconsin — will make it tough for Washington's men's varsity to maintain its streak of never finishing lower than fifth in an IRA regatta since 1995.

Washington's boat will continue to include two rowers with high-school ties to the region. Sophomore Hans Struzyna, a Bellevue Christian grad, is in the No. 4 seat, and senior Jessiah Johnson of Mercer Island is in the No. 2 seat.

Notes

• UW has won four of the past five junior varsity eight IRA titles, missing the gold only in 2006. That was the last year the Washington rowers won the freshman eight division. This year the UW frosh will row as a favorite, entering the regatta with an undefeated record in 2009.

• The men's varsity eight field includes 22 crews, including boats from Gonzaga and Oregon State.

• The Washington women's varsity eight did not qualify for its grand final at the NCAA meet last week in Cherry Hill, N.J.

• Like the women's NCAAs, national champions are crowned in each of the races and then an overall team points winner. The team points winner is awarded the Ten Eyck Trophy, which Washington took home last year for the second straight season.