KANSAS CITY, Kan. – After five hard-fought races in blustery conditions, the Kansas State women’s rowing team fell to the Kansas Jayhawks 22-0 on the Wyandotte County Lake in Kansas City, Kansas on Saturday. The victory marks the second-straight year that the Jayhawks have taken home the Kansas Cup.
“It was disappointing because we did not show up to race,” head coach Patrick Sweeney said. “Kansas did and they deservedly beat us. Their crews were going over two to three beats higher than us. Our kids did not come sharp enough and now they have two weeks to get their minds in gear before Big 12s.”
In the first race of the day, Kansas’ third varsity eight earned the first two points of the race, winning with a time of 7:52.9 to take an early 2-0 lead.
The boat, coxswained by Allie Kleinsmith and rowed by Maggie Burg, Kelsey Eagleman, Kaylin Edwards, Molly Ross, Grace Reilly, Nikole Cain, Samantha Samskey and Taylor DeWeese, finished in second place in the race with a final time of 7:57.9.
KU added another three points in the 1V4 race, winning with a time of 8:54.93 to go ahead 5-0 with three races remaining. K-State’s 1V4, coxed by Sam Scott and rowed by Nicole Catloth, Regan Simpson, Laura Clement andJessica Kuhlman, took second with a time of 9:02.28.
Despite taking an early lead in the 2V4 race, the Wildcats’ 2V4, which was coxswained by Aimee Farrell and rowed by Maddie Petersen, Kelsey Dighans, Emily Stec and Hannah Culbertson, finished in third place with a time of 9:39.42.
The Jayhawks’ top boat in the race earned the races two points, winning with a time of 8:53.67 to extend the lead to 7-0. KU’s ‘B’ boat took second, posting a time of 9:33.47.
Kansas sealed the victory in the 2V8 race as its top boat finished in first with a time of 7:51.62 to earn six points to go up 13-0. K-State’s boat, which consisted of coxswain Courtney Faucett and rowers Chelsea Goble, Ashley Houser, Courtney Cooke, Ariana Thompson, Selena Wapelhorst, Jordan Lund, Kennedy Felice and Elaina Grantham took second with a time of 8:08.47.
In the final race of the afternoon, the 1V8, coxed by Meaghan Kuzmich and rowed by Marissa Butrum, Noelle Dykmann, Mary Rose Eakes, Kayla Brock, Samantha Bendrick, Courtney Winkley, Erin Roeser and Madi Haney, finished just behind KU’s boat with a time of 7:50.75. KU won the race’s nine points with a time of 7:40.32.
K-State now turns its attention the Big 12 Championships, which will be held on May 14-15 on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. This will be the second time the team has raced on the lake, the first coming at the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship (SIRA) on April 16th and 17th.
Sweeney is confident that the team will be able to turn its performance around before the conference meet in a similar fashion to what the team showed last season.
“We saw the same thing happen last year after the Sunflower Showdown,” Sweeney added. “We will have to do that again this year if we want to be competitive at Big 12s.”
For the latest on K-State women’s rowing, follow @kstatesports and @KStateROW on Twitter using the hashtag #KStateROW or on the team’s Facebook page.
Dillon’s Sunflower Showdown
Wyandotte County Lake
Kansas City, Kan.
3V8 Finals (2 pts.)
- KU ‘A’ – 7:52.9; 2. KSU ‘A’ – 7:57.9; 3. KU ‘B’ – 8:14.18
1V4 Finals (3 pts.)
- KU ‘A’ – 8:54.93; 2. KSU ‘A’ – 9:02.28
2V4 Finals (2pts.)
- KU ‘A’ – 8:53.67; 2. KU ‘B’ – 9:33.47; 3. KSU ‘A’ – 9:39.42
2V8 Finals (6 pts.)
- KU ‘A’ – 7:51.62; 2. KSU ‘A’ – 8:08.47
1V8 Finals (9 pts.)
- KU ‘A’ – 7:40.32; 2. KSU ‘A’ – 7:50.75
Lineups
1V8
C Meaghan Kuzmich
8 Marissa Butrum
7 Noelle Dykmann
6 Mary Rose Eakes
5 Kayla Brock
4 Samantha Bendrick
3 Courtney Winkley
2 Erin Roeser
1 Madi Haney
2V8
C Courtney Faucett
8 Chelsea Goble
7 Ashley Houser
6 Courtney Cooke
5 Ariana Thompson
4 Selena Wapelhorst
3 Jordan Lund
2 Kennedy Felice
1 Elaina Grantham
1V4
C Sam Scott
4 Nicole Catloth
3 Regan Simpson
2 Laura Clement
1 Jessica Kuhlman
2V4
C Aimee Farrell
4 Maddie Petersen
3 Kelsey Dighans
2 Emily Stec
1 Hannah Culbertson
3V8
C Allie Kleinsmith
8 Maggie Burg
7 Kelsey Eagleman
6 Kaylin Edwards
5 Molly Ross
4 Grace Reilly
3 Nikole Cain
2 Samantha Samskey
1 Taylor DeWeese
–www.kstatesports.com–
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Josh Brunner
Graduate Assistant | Athletics Communications