When the faithful gather in Worcester for the Eastern Sprints this Saturday, they are likely to see another day of Crimson triumph.

Seventy-six crews from 16 colleges as far west as Wisconsin will try to swamp Harvard's powerhouse of eights.

Pre-race predictions pick Harvard's varsity and freshman heavies and the junior varsity lights to win. The varsity and freshman lights, both undefeated so far, have more than a good chance for upsets.

Northeastern, which entered the Sprint competition for the first time last year, has been seeded second behind the Harvard heavyweight varsity. In the Crimson's season debut, Northeastern led practically all the way down the course before falling behind by one second at the finish line.

Weather conditions were severe for that race, and Harvard is hoping to establish clear dominance over the Huskies this Saturday. Look for Cornell, Penn, and fast-starting Yale as other strong crews.

Last week in the Adams Cup, it was Harvard over Penn by a length and a half in the heavyweight freshman contest. Penn coach Ted Nash said after the race: "We're going to close in on them next week." Saturday's race will probably be a closer one.

The junior varsity heavyweight boat, moved by the same men who made an unusually poor showing against Penn last week, has been seeded second. Coach Harry Parker says any junior varsity wll have to turn in "quite an extraordinary performance" to beat Penn, but that Harvard has "a good chance of doing it."

Cornell has traditionally been the crew-to-beat in the lightweight field. Their varsity is undefeated this year, and Harvard's coach Bo Andersen rates them "a little better than usual." He says the race will be "nip and tuck -- a real dog fight."

The junior varsity lights should encounter no serious problems.

Penn is the crew to watch in the freshman lightweight contest. Undefeated, and pushing themselves through heavy physical workouts this season, they have been seeded first to Harvard's second. It will be close.

Worcester is about 40 minutes due west of Boston. Trial heats are in the morning, finals after lunch.