SPOKANE, Wash. -- Gonzaga men's rowing head coach Dan Gehn and his squad officially lift the lid on their season this weekend at home on the Spokane River.

After missing the IRA Championships last season, Gehn's squad will look to improve on the foundation built and capitalize on the experience gained in 2014-15.

"We need to be racers, racers, racers, but the ultimate goal is for us to win the Western Sprints and head to Mercer for the IRA Men's National Championships and compete well," Gehn said. "We didn't make it last year, and I know the juniors this year have a very bad taste in their mouth about that. They are good leaders and have the team pointed in the right direction."

The men's crew team will open the fall season with the Fall Family Weekend/Parents' Day at the Head of the Spokane on the Spokane River on Oct. 10 at 9 a.m. The following weekend, the Zags will again be on their home river out of the GU Boathouse with the Alumni Weekend and intersquad scrimmage on Oct. 17.

On Nov. 1, Gonzaga will travel to Portland, Ore., for the Portland Fall Classic, followed by the Head of the Lake in Seattle, Wash., on Nov. 8. GU will cap the fall season at the Head of the Snake on Oct. 14 at Wawawai Landing, Wash.

After a winter of training, GU will be back on the race course beginning March 5 at Dexter Lake near Eugene, Ore., where they will face Victoria and Oregon State. A week later, the crew will be in Davis, Calif., for the Spring Break race on March 10, followed by a March 11 scrimmage.

The Zags will round out there schedule with a race on the weekend of April 9, followed by a matchup with Oregon State on April 23 in Vancouver, Wash.

On April 30, GU will make the trek to Wawawai Landing for the annual Fawley Cup in the final tuneup before the Western Sprints Championships on May 14.

"I like the schedule this year," Gehn said. "We are lined up to go to Portland Fall Classic which gives another good fall race and has been hard to get to because of scheduling conflicts in years past. We are also trying to get a round robin set up with the members of our regional championship in Oklahoma City. Oregon State is always a good battle as well."

With a successful weekend at the Western Sprints, Gonzaga could position themselves for a berth in the season finale IRA National Championships at Mercer Lake, N.J.

"This is a very young team, but a good team," Gehn said. "They need reps with good contests that they can win, but have to work hard for. This is a good schedule to build confidence and grow. I also like that we see a bit more of our conference opponents, which will give us an idea of where they sit and where we sit."

This weekend's action at the Spokane River will get started at 9 a.m. at the Gonzaga Boathouse near Felts Field. Both the men's and women's crew teams will be in action against Washington State.