PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Portland Pilots will send five boats to Lake Natoma this weekend for the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships, which will feature some of the top schools in the west at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center. The two-day regatta begins on Saturday morning and concludes on Sunday.
 
"WIRA's are a DI, DII, and DIII championship race," Portland head coach Pasha Spencer said. "We were here in 2014 and 2015. It's a tough week academically for us, but it is a great opportunity to see the race course before the WCC Championships."
 
Portland's varsity eight will be the first boat on the water for the Pilots, and they'll race against crews from LMU, Sacramento State, Saint Mary's, San Diego, San Diego State, and Stanford. Miranda Reyes will be in the coxswain seat for the varsity eight, while Lauren Jesse is scheduled to row stroke. Portland's heat is set for 8:30 a.m.
 
The second eight and varsity four will compete against similar fields as the varsity eight. With Emma Papenhausen as coxswain and Megan Del Pozzi at stroke, the second eight is scheduled to race in the second heat at 9:40 p.m.
 
Next is the varsity four, which will be coxed by Allison Pallazzotto and Meredith Marcinko rowing stroke, and the novice four concludes Saturday with Joselene Piedra Rodriguez as the coxswain and Katie Bayford as the stroke. The novice four boat will face an expanded field at 3 p.m., while the varsity four prelims will begin at 11:20 a.m.
 
Portland will also be putting a double on Lake Natoma, with Sydney Gardner and Alondra Quiroga-Bernal pairing up for their heat at 2:20 p.m.
 
Saturday's schedule features multiple heats, and the top boats will advance to Sunday's grand and petite finals.
 
Following the WIRA's, the Pilots return to Lake Natoma for the 2019 West Coast Conference Championships, which are slated for Saturday, May 18.
 
2019 WIRA Championships Schedule* – Lake Natoma
Varsity Eight, Heat Two - 8:30 a.m.
Second Eight, Heat Two - 9:40 a.m.
Varsity Four, Prelim - 11:20 a.m.
Double, Heat Two - 2:20 p.m.
Novice Four, Heat One - 3 p.m.
*Races involving Portland
 
Portland's Line-ups
Varsity Eight: Miranda Reyes (coxswain), Lauren Jesse, Catherine Watson, Desi Petrova, Veronica Nicacio, Avery Romano, Brooklin Gomez, Tess Pritchett, Jacquelyn Bass
 
Second Eight: Emma Papenhausen (coxswain), Megan Del Pozzi, Brianne Zbylicki, Megan Medalia, Lilly Landers, Reeca Bardon, Acacia Wellsford, Audrey Shellum-Gonzalez, Karen Gonzalez-Yanez
 
Varsity Four: Allison Pallazzotto (coxswain), Meredith Marcinko, Mollie Rutz, Lauren Yee, Amanda Hernandez Michalski
 
Novice Four: Joselene Piedra Rodriguez (coxswain), Katie Bayford, Katelyn Barney, Maddie Olson, Sage Iona
 
Double: Sydney Gardner, Alondra Quiroga-Bernal