MADISON, Wis. - The lightweight women's rowing team will make their way to Massachusetts over the weekend to compete in the Eastern Sprints. The race will take place on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Massachusetts, on Sunday, May 4.

F(oar) things to know before the race:

1. THE FIELD: The races will be loaded with stiff competition this year, giving the Badgers a good opportunity to compete against the best teams in the nation. Among the lightweight eights they will face includes No. 1 Princeton, No. 2 Boston University, No. 3 Harvard, No. 4 Georgetown, No. 6 Stanford and N0. 7 MIT. Each of these teams is ranked alongside the Badgers in the latest IRA lightweight polls. 

2. SPRINT TO THE FINISH: The Badgers are nearing the end of their season as they have the Eastern Sprints then finish the season with the IRA National Championships from May 30 to June 1 in on the Cooper River in Camden, New Jersey. The Badgers will be well rested and ready to go after they had a bye week last week in preparation for this race.

3. LAST TIME OUT: Wisconsin had a solid showing in a head-to-head race against the Stanford Cardinal on April 19. Wisconsin took two out of three races but lost the lightweight eight matchup. Nevertheless, it was a positive step for the Badgers who proved they could compete with the best teams in the nation. Head Coach Hadzo "Hodge" Habibovic was pleased with the way his team battled, saying "Today we capped off a tough travel/racing three-week stretch. We learned a lot over the last few weeks and we are excited for the opportunities ahead. Now we get ready for the post-season and prepare for sprints in a few weeks."

4. BADGERS IN THE RANKINGS: The Badgers enter the final stretch of the season in the mix with the top-ranked teams in the country. Wisconsin sits sixth in the lightweight eight rankings, first in the varsity four rankings and fifth in the double sculls rankings. They have an excellent opportunity to move up in the rankings this weekend as they compete with the best teams in the nation before the national championships.