The Harvard women's crew teams will also face some tough competition in Sunday's races. The Crimson has entered crews in the championship eight and the championship four races, along with a lightweight eight, a light four and a youth eight.

For both the Radcliffe heavies and lights, the always-tough Boston Rowing Club, which features many rowers from the U.S. national team, will be the biggest threat.

"It will be really tough," said senior Julian Buriak, who rows in the heavyweight boat. "The BRC beat us in this race last year, but last spring we defeated them."

International Field

Some of the biggest names in the world of rowing will also be in Cambridge Sunday for the different events.

World champions Frans Goebel of Belgium and Elisabeta Lipa of Romania are scheduled to test their abilities on the Charles, as are other world championship medalists from West Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands and the Soviet Union.

Kris Karlson, the first American to win two gold medals at the world championships, will also be on hand.

Some other prominent American rowers who have won the Head in past years are Anne Marden, who also earned an Olympic silver medalist in Seoul, and Andy Sudduth, a 1983 Harvard graduate who has won five times and is the course record holder for the men's championship singles.

In addition to the champions of today, several champions from long ago will be on board Sunday to see if the ole stroke is still there. The 1964 U.S. Olympic men's eight will celebrate the 25th anniversary of their gold medal at Tokyo by racing none other than the 1968 USSR Olympic men's eight, who have come all the way from Lithuania to race the Americans.