K-State Rowing Wins First Dillons Sunflower Showdown Since 2014

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The Kansas State women's rowing team earned victories in four events to defeat Kansas 13-9 at the Dillons Sunflower Showdown on Saturday, the first time since 2014 the Sunflower Showdown Championship Trophy will return home with the Wildcats.

"It is very special, our girls fought very hard and raced well today," Head Coach Patrick Sweeney said. "I was very pleased with how they have progressed this season with their lack of water time, they have really impressed me and today shows that."

The Wildcats claimed victories in four of the five events on Saturday, earning 13 points in result of several strong performances on the water. Kansas tallied nine points from their victory in the final event of the day, women's first varsity eight.

The Sunflower Showdown got started with the third varsity eight race, where the K-State boat gaining a large advantage over the Kansas boat, finishing in 6:42.3, while Kansas finished in 6:49.57. The Wildcats' effort earned them two points to take the early lead.

In the next event, the K-State second varsity four boat kept up the momentum for the Wildcats, winning the race in 7:33.2 over Kansas' 7:41.47 finish to earn another two points to increase their lead to 4-0.

The K-State first varsity four took a commanding lead in the third race of the day, creating open water between them and the Jayhawks boat. K-State won the event by crossing the finish line in 7:06.9 to earn three more points to add to the Wildcats' lead.

With a 7-0 advantage, the Wildcats had a chance to seal the victory in the second varsity eight race, where the boat put together a clutch victory in the event to seal the Sunflower Showdown Championship. The Wildcat second varsity eight finished in 6:28.2 while the Kansas boat finished in 6:40.88 to seal the win with one event remaining.

With the K-State victory already guaranteed, the K-State first varsity eight boat raced a strong race in the final event of the day, despite placing second behind Kansas in the event. The Wildcats finished the race in 6:25.35, while Kansas tallied nine points from their victory.

"The boats rowed really well today, I think that they showed that they have what it takes to really compete," Sweeney said. "We have a young team, so going forward if we can do what we did today I think we will be in good shape."

Next up, the Wildcats will take a week of preparation, as the team gets ready to compete in the Big 12 Championship on May 12-13 which will take place in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The Wildcats competed at the site of the Big 12 Championship, Melton Hill Lake earlier this season, where the team put all five boats into finals and earned four medals at the SIRA Championship Regatta.

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

Dillons Sunflower Showdown
Wyandotte County Lake
Kansas City, Kansas

Women's Third Varsity Eight
1. K-State, 6:42.3
2. Kansas, 6:49.57
3. Kansas B, 7:30.57

Women's Second Varsity Four
1. K-State, 7:33.2
2. Kansas, 7:41.47

Women's First Varsity Four
1. K-State, 7:06.9
2. Kansas, 7:14.72

Women's Second Varsity Eight
1. K-State, 6:28.2
2. Kansas, 6:40.88

Women's First Varsity Eight
1. Kansas, 6:21.7
2. K-State, 6:25.35

Team Scores
1. K-State, 13
2. Kansas, 9

K-State Lineups
1v8+: Cox: Samantha Scott, 8: Kaylin Edwards, 7: Mikaela Bennett, 6: Logan Frost, 5: Kennedy Felice, 4: Grace Reilly, 3: Kaley Dalinghaus, 2: Mattie Warner, 1: Elaina Grantham.

2v8+: Cox: Allie Kleinsmith, 8: Marissa Butrum, 7: Madison Rebel, 6: Molly Ross, 5: Jordan Lund, 4: Marisa Rodriguez, 3: Paige Rohner, 2: Samantha Bendrick, 1: Abigail Dressler.

3v8+: Cox: Aimee Farrell, 8: Abbey Hebbert, 7: Caroline Geither, 6: Natasha Johnson, 5: Laura Clement, 4: Aubrey Gilchrist, 3: Taylor Hartman, 2: Emma Witter, 1: Nikole Cain.

1v4+: Cox: Emily Johnson, 4: Taylor DeWeese, 3: Selena Wapelhorst, 2: Rachel Haskell, 1: Lauren Costello.

2v4+: Cox: Baylee Beatty, 4: Maggie Burg, 3: Tessa Davids, 2: Leah Gaines, 1: Samantha Samskey.

Kansas State University Athletics

K-State Rowing Wins First Dillons Sunflower Showdown Since 2014

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Players Mentioned

Baylee Beatty

Samantha Bendrick

Mikaela Bennett

Maggie Burg

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

Molly Ross

Samantha Samskey

Samantha Scott

Selena Wapelhorst

Mattie Warner

Emma Witter