Wildcats Prepared Heading into San Diego Crew Classic

MANHATTAN, Kan. – After a strong showing a week ago at the Hornet Invitational in Sacramento, California, the K-State women's rowing team will look to continue to improve at this weekend's San Diego Crew Classic held in San Diego, California on March 24-25.

"I was really pleased with how we performed last week [at the Hornet Invitational]," Head Coach Patrick Sweeney said of the team. "This weekend I am looking for improvement, we want to keep getting better and keep getting faster as the season progresses."

The competition will be the second in as many weeks for the Wildcats in California, as the team concludes their 11-day spring camp in the Golden State. At last week's Hornet Invitational, K-State put together a number of strong performances, including eight first place finishes by K-State boats.

This weekend's San Diego Crew Classic is familiar territory for the Wildcats, as the 1v8+ boat has qualified for the finals in each of the last two years at the competition. This year, the Wildcats will enter five boats, with the first K-State competition beginning at 10:48 a.m. CT on Saturday.

In the women's 1v8+, coxswain Samantha Scott and rowers Marissa Butrum, Mikaela Bennett, Grace Reilly, Kennedy Felice, Mattie Warner, Elaina Grantham, Rachel Haskell and Lauren Costello, will get on the water first for the Wildcats, as the boat has qualified for the finals in two consecutive years, including a sixth-place finish in the grand finale a year ago.

In the women's 2v8+ race, coxswain Emily Johnson and rowers Kaylin Edwards, Madison Rebel, Natasha Johnson, Jordan Lund, Molly Ross, Kaley Dalinghaus, Samantha Bendrick and Caroline Geither will race for Women's Collegiate 2v+ Jackie Ann Stitt Hungness Trophy at 12:32 p.m. on Saturday.

To conclude day one of the San Diego Crew Classic, the 1v4+ boat, consisting of coxswain Allie Kleinsmith and rowers Taylor DeWeese, Selena Wapelhorst, Logan Frost and Abigail Dressler will race at 12:56 p.m. out of lane three.

On Sunday, the 2v4+ and 3v8+ boats will get their chance on the water, as the 2v4+ races at 1:40 p.m. out of lane six and the 3v8+ will compete in the women's open Copley Cup beginning at 4:08 p.m. out of lane five. The 2v4+ boat will be made up of coxswain Baylee Beatty and rowers Abbey Hebbert, Cathy Leavitt, Leah Gaines and Nikole Cain, while the 3v8+ boat consists of coxswain Aimee Farrell and rowers Samantha Samskey, Taylor Hartman, Marisa Rodriguez, Laura Clement, Aubrey Gilchrist, Paige Rohner, Emma Witter and Tessa Davids.

For more information on the San Diego Crew Classic, including race information, tickets and more, click here. The San Diego Crew Classic will stream live on YouTube on both days of competition and is available here. For live results, click here.

For the latest on K-State Rowing, follow @kstatesports and @KStateROW on Twitter using the hashtag #KStateROW or on the team's Facebook page.

Saturday, March 24 Schedule (All Times Central)

10:48 a.m. – Women's 1v8+, Women's Collegiate Varsity Cal Cup
12:32 p.m. – Women's 2v8+ – Women's Collegiate 2v Jackie Ann Stitt Hungness Trophy
12:56 p.m. – Women's 1v4+ - Women's Collegiate Varsity 4+ Karen Plumleigh Cortney Cup

Sunday, March 25 Schedule (All Times Central)

1:40 p.m. – Women's 2v4+ - Women's Collegiate 4+B Entries (Final Only)
4:08 p.m. – Women's 3v8+ - Women's Open Copley Cup

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Players Mentioned

Baylee Beatty

Samantha Bendrick

Mikaela Bennett

Marissa Butrum

Nikole Cain

Laura Clement

Lauren Costello

Kaley Dalinghaus

Tessa Davids

Abigail Dressler

Kaylin Edwards

Aimee Farrell

Kennedy Felice

Taylor Flowers

Logan Frost

Leah Gaines

Caroline Geither

Aubrey Gilchrist

Elaina Grantham

Taylor Hartman

Rachel Haskell

Abbey Hebbert

Emily Johnson

Natasha Johnson

Allie Kleinsmith

Jordan Lund

Madison Rebel

Grace Reilly

Marisa Rodriguez

Paige Rohner

Samantha Samskey

Samantha Scott

Selena Wapelhorst

Mattie Warner

Emma Witter

Kansas State University Athletics