Kansas State University Athletics

Wildcats Bring Home Four Medals from the Sunshine State Invitational
Apr 06, 2019 | Rowing
SARASOTA, Fla. – The Kansas State women's rowing team wrapped up a successful competition at the Sunshine State Invitational at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida this weekend, where the Wildcats placed all five boats in their respective Grand Finals, leading to four boats that brought home medals.
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"It was a really good turnout for our team, I was really impressed with how they raced this weekend, getting all five boats to finals and with their races in the finals," Head Coach Patrick Sweeney said. "I thought it was a big step forward for our boats, we performed very well."
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To start the competition on Friday, all five K-State boats competed in the preliminary rounds of the Sunshine State Invitational, where the boats had to place in the top two of their respective heats or have one of the next three fastest overall times in order to advance to Saturday's Grand Finals.
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In the preliminaries, all five K-State boats advanced to the Grand Finals, including first place finishes by the K-State 2v8+ boat, which finished in 6:39.60, and the K-State 1v4+ boat, which won by over four seconds in 7:19.10.
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On Saturday, the K-State 1v8+ boat kicked things off for the Wildcats, where they put together a strong race to finish in 6:37.82 and place fourth overall. The 1v8+ boat was coxed by Emily Johnson with rowers, Taylor Flowers, Elaina Grantham, Grace Reilly, Kennedy Felice, Madison Jensen, Mikaela Bennett, Mattie Warner and Caroline Geither.
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Following the 1v8+ race, the Wildcats earned silver medals in three-consecutive races in the 2v8+, 3v8+ and 2v4+ boats.
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In the 2v8+ race, the K-State boat made up of coxswain Allie Kleinsmith and rowers Marisa Rodriguez, Taylor Hartman, Natasha Johnson, Jordan Lund, Maya Morrow, Megan Michaelis, Rachel Haskell and Megan Chrisco placed second overall in the grand finals in 6:43.08 to earn the silver medal.
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In the final varsity eight race of the morning, the K-State 3v8+ earned the second silver medal of the day for the Wildcats, as the boat of coxswain Morgan Thompson and rowers Samantha Samskey, Madison Rebel, Elizabeth Mummert, Megan Kelly, Ellie Hahn, Elizabeth Sloan, Kate Odgers and Delaney Bird raced to a second-place finish in 6:59.72.
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In the varsity fours, K-State brought home a pair of medals including a second-place finish from the 2v4+ boat. The boat, made up of, coxswain Kylee Stec and rowers Molly Ross, Nikole Cain, Leah Gaines and Aubrey Gilchrist finished second behind only Alabama, finishing in 7:38.89.
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In the final K-State race of the Sunshine State Invitational, the Wildcat 1v4+ boat of coxswain Kaitlyn Henke and rowers Kaylin Edwards, Selena Wapelhorst, Logan Frost and Abigail Dressler earned a bronze medal for their performance, where they finished third in 7:27.20.
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"I think we still have some technical things to work out but they should feel confident after their performance this weekend," Sweeney added.
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Next, the Wildcats will make a trip to Oak Ridge, Tennessee on April 19-20 to compete in the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association (SIRA) Championships. The regatta is the third of the spring season for the Wildcats, as K-State prepares for the Big 12 Championships on May 18-19. K-State will also compete at the Sunflower Showdown in Kansas City, Kansas on May 4.
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For the latest on K-State Rowing, follow @kstatesports and @KStateROW on Twitter using the hashtag #KStateROW or on the team's Facebook page.
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Sunshine State Invitational
Nathan Benderson Park
Sarasota, Florida
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K-State Results
Friday Evening Session
Women's 1v8+ Heat 2
1. SMU, 6:29.20; 2. Louisville, 6:31.34; 3. Kansas State, 6:34.70; 4. Tulsa, 6:36.32; 5. Miami, 6:42.72; 6. Jacksonville, 6:49.50
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Women's 2v8+ Heat 2
1. Kansas State, 6:39.60; 2. SMU, 6:42.95; 3. Tulsa, 6:43.59; 4. Louisville, 6:52.78; 5. Miami, 6:58.37; 6. Jacksonville, 7:06.52
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Women's 3v8+ Heat 1
1. Alabama, 6:46.20; 2. Kansas State, 6:57.19; 3. Kansas, 7:07.94; 4. Clemson, 7:10.20; 5. UCF, 7:11.12; 6. Jacksonville, 7:31.55; 7. Miami, 7:42.21
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Women's 1v4+ Heat 2
1. Kansas State, 7:19.10; 2. Tulsa, 7:23.81; 3. SMU, 7:32.27; 4. Louisville, 7:35.43; 5. Jacksonville, 7:37.23; 6. Miami, 7:42.18
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Women's 2v4+ Heat 2
1. Miami, 7:33.00; 2. Kansas State, 7:33.44; 3. SMU, 7:34.67; 4. Louisville, 7:39.62; 5. Tulsa, 7:41.20; 6. Jacksonville, 7:46.47
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K-State Lineups
Friday Evening Session
First Varsity Eight
Cox: Emily Johnson, 8. Taylor Flowers, 7. Elaina Grantham 6. Grace Reilly, 5. Kennedy Felice, 4. Madison Jensen, 3. Mikaela Bennett, 2. Mattie Warner, 1. Caroline Geither.
Second Varsity Eight
Cox: Allie Kleinsmith, 8. Marisa Rodriguez, 7. Taylor Hartman, 6. Natasha Johnson, 5. Jordan Lund, 4. Maya Morrow, 3. Megan Michaelis, 2. Rachel Haskell, 1. Megan Chrisco.
Third Varsity Eight
Cox: Morgan Thompson, 8. Samantha Samskey, 7. Madison Rebel, 6. Elizabeth Mummert, 5. Megan Kelly, 4. Ellie Hahn, 3. Elizabeth Sloan, 2. Kate Odgers, 1. Delaney Bird.
First Varsity Four
Cox: Kaitlyn Henke, 4. Kaylin Edwards, 3. Selena Wapelhorst, 2. Logan Frost, 1. Abigail Dressler.
Second Varsity Four
Cox: Kylee Stec, 4. Molly Ross, 3. Nikole Cain, 2. Leah Gaines, 1. Aubrey Gilchrist.
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Saturday Morning Session
Women's 1v8+ Grand Finals
1. Alabama, 6:30.20; 2. Louisville, 6:33.42; 3. UCF, 6:35.43; 4. Kansas State, 6:37.82; 5. Kansas, 6:38.88; 6. SMU, 6:39.61
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Women's 2v8+ Grand Finals
1. Alabama, 6:40.20; 2. Kansas State, 6:43.08; 3. UCF, 6:44.91; 4. SMU, 6:46.14; 5. Kansas, 6:51.45; 6. Tulsa, 6:52.49
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Women's 3v8+ Grand Finals
1. Alabama, 6:52.50; 2. Kansas State, 6:59.72; 3. Kansas, 7:12.59; 4. UCF, 7:13.85; 5. Clemson, 7:20.37; 6. Jacksonville, 7:36.72; 7. Miami, 7:42.42
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Women's 1v4+ Grand Finals
1. UCF, 7:21.30; 2. Alabama, 7:26.09; 3. Kansas State, 7:27.20; 4. Tulsa, 7:31.31; 5. Louisville, 7:33.27; 6. SMU, 7:44.19
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Women's 2v4+ Grand Finals
1. Alabama, 7:33.10; 2. Kansas State, 7:38.89; 3. UCF, 7:40.07; 4. Miami, 7:43.34; 5. Louisville, 7:44.73; 6. SMU, 7:45.33; 7. Kansas, 7:47.45
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K-State Lineups
Saturday Morning Session
First Varsity Eight
Cox: Emily Johnson, 8. Taylor Flowers, 7. Elaina Grantham 6. Grace Reilly, 5. Kennedy Felice, 4. Madison Jensen, 3. Mikaela Bennett, 2. Mattie Warner, 1. Caroline Geither.
Second Varsity Eight
Cox: Allie Kleinsmith, 8. Marisa Rodriguez, 7. Taylor Hartman, 6. Natasha Johnson, 5. Jordan Lund, 4. Maya Morrow, 3. Megan Michaelis, 2. Rachel Haskell, 1. Megan Chrisco.
Third Varsity Eight
Cox: Morgan Thompson, 8. Samantha Samskey, 7. Madison Rebel, 6. Elizabeth Mummert, 5. Megan Kelly, 4. Ellie Hahn, 3. Elizabeth Sloan, 2. Kate Odgers, 1. Delaney Bird.
First Varsity Four
Cox: Kaitlyn Henke, 4. Kaylin Edwards, 3. Selena Wapelhorst, 2. Logan Frost, 1. Abigail Dressler.
Second Varsity Four
Cox: Kylee Stec, 4. Molly Ross, 3. Nikole Cain, 2. Leah Gaines, 1. Aubrey Gilchrist.
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"It was a really good turnout for our team, I was really impressed with how they raced this weekend, getting all five boats to finals and with their races in the finals," Head Coach Patrick Sweeney said. "I thought it was a big step forward for our boats, we performed very well."
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To start the competition on Friday, all five K-State boats competed in the preliminary rounds of the Sunshine State Invitational, where the boats had to place in the top two of their respective heats or have one of the next three fastest overall times in order to advance to Saturday's Grand Finals.
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In the preliminaries, all five K-State boats advanced to the Grand Finals, including first place finishes by the K-State 2v8+ boat, which finished in 6:39.60, and the K-State 1v4+ boat, which won by over four seconds in 7:19.10.
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On Saturday, the K-State 1v8+ boat kicked things off for the Wildcats, where they put together a strong race to finish in 6:37.82 and place fourth overall. The 1v8+ boat was coxed by Emily Johnson with rowers, Taylor Flowers, Elaina Grantham, Grace Reilly, Kennedy Felice, Madison Jensen, Mikaela Bennett, Mattie Warner and Caroline Geither.
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Following the 1v8+ race, the Wildcats earned silver medals in three-consecutive races in the 2v8+, 3v8+ and 2v4+ boats.
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In the 2v8+ race, the K-State boat made up of coxswain Allie Kleinsmith and rowers Marisa Rodriguez, Taylor Hartman, Natasha Johnson, Jordan Lund, Maya Morrow, Megan Michaelis, Rachel Haskell and Megan Chrisco placed second overall in the grand finals in 6:43.08 to earn the silver medal.
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In the final varsity eight race of the morning, the K-State 3v8+ earned the second silver medal of the day for the Wildcats, as the boat of coxswain Morgan Thompson and rowers Samantha Samskey, Madison Rebel, Elizabeth Mummert, Megan Kelly, Ellie Hahn, Elizabeth Sloan, Kate Odgers and Delaney Bird raced to a second-place finish in 6:59.72.
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In the varsity fours, K-State brought home a pair of medals including a second-place finish from the 2v4+ boat. The boat, made up of, coxswain Kylee Stec and rowers Molly Ross, Nikole Cain, Leah Gaines and Aubrey Gilchrist finished second behind only Alabama, finishing in 7:38.89.
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Make that our THIRD ?? medal of the Sunshine State Invitational, as the #KStateROW 2v4+ boat places second in the Grand Final in 7:38.89 pic.twitter.com/c7dwcvqrDj
— K-State Rowing (@KStateROW) April 6, 2019
In the final K-State race of the Sunshine State Invitational, the Wildcat 1v4+ boat of coxswain Kaitlyn Henke and rowers Kaylin Edwards, Selena Wapelhorst, Logan Frost and Abigail Dressler earned a bronze medal for their performance, where they finished third in 7:27.20.
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The K-State boats bring home 4?? medals from the Sunshine State Invitational! ??????
— K-State Rowing (@KStateROW) April 6, 2019
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????#KStateROW pic.twitter.com/bqZrCcSEjX
"I think we still have some technical things to work out but they should feel confident after their performance this weekend," Sweeney added.
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Next, the Wildcats will make a trip to Oak Ridge, Tennessee on April 19-20 to compete in the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association (SIRA) Championships. The regatta is the third of the spring season for the Wildcats, as K-State prepares for the Big 12 Championships on May 18-19. K-State will also compete at the Sunflower Showdown in Kansas City, Kansas on May 4.
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For the latest on K-State Rowing, follow @kstatesports and @KStateROW on Twitter using the hashtag #KStateROW or on the team's Facebook page.
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Sunshine State Invitational
Nathan Benderson Park
Sarasota, Florida
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K-State Results
Friday Evening Session
Women's 1v8+ Heat 2
1. SMU, 6:29.20; 2. Louisville, 6:31.34; 3. Kansas State, 6:34.70; 4. Tulsa, 6:36.32; 5. Miami, 6:42.72; 6. Jacksonville, 6:49.50
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Women's 2v8+ Heat 2
1. Kansas State, 6:39.60; 2. SMU, 6:42.95; 3. Tulsa, 6:43.59; 4. Louisville, 6:52.78; 5. Miami, 6:58.37; 6. Jacksonville, 7:06.52
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Women's 3v8+ Heat 1
1. Alabama, 6:46.20; 2. Kansas State, 6:57.19; 3. Kansas, 7:07.94; 4. Clemson, 7:10.20; 5. UCF, 7:11.12; 6. Jacksonville, 7:31.55; 7. Miami, 7:42.21
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Women's 1v4+ Heat 2
1. Kansas State, 7:19.10; 2. Tulsa, 7:23.81; 3. SMU, 7:32.27; 4. Louisville, 7:35.43; 5. Jacksonville, 7:37.23; 6. Miami, 7:42.18
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Women's 2v4+ Heat 2
1. Miami, 7:33.00; 2. Kansas State, 7:33.44; 3. SMU, 7:34.67; 4. Louisville, 7:39.62; 5. Tulsa, 7:41.20; 6. Jacksonville, 7:46.47
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K-State Lineups
Friday Evening Session
First Varsity Eight
Cox: Emily Johnson, 8. Taylor Flowers, 7. Elaina Grantham 6. Grace Reilly, 5. Kennedy Felice, 4. Madison Jensen, 3. Mikaela Bennett, 2. Mattie Warner, 1. Caroline Geither.
Second Varsity Eight
Cox: Allie Kleinsmith, 8. Marisa Rodriguez, 7. Taylor Hartman, 6. Natasha Johnson, 5. Jordan Lund, 4. Maya Morrow, 3. Megan Michaelis, 2. Rachel Haskell, 1. Megan Chrisco.
Third Varsity Eight
Cox: Morgan Thompson, 8. Samantha Samskey, 7. Madison Rebel, 6. Elizabeth Mummert, 5. Megan Kelly, 4. Ellie Hahn, 3. Elizabeth Sloan, 2. Kate Odgers, 1. Delaney Bird.
First Varsity Four
Cox: Kaitlyn Henke, 4. Kaylin Edwards, 3. Selena Wapelhorst, 2. Logan Frost, 1. Abigail Dressler.
Second Varsity Four
Cox: Kylee Stec, 4. Molly Ross, 3. Nikole Cain, 2. Leah Gaines, 1. Aubrey Gilchrist.
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Saturday Morning Session
Women's 1v8+ Grand Finals
1. Alabama, 6:30.20; 2. Louisville, 6:33.42; 3. UCF, 6:35.43; 4. Kansas State, 6:37.82; 5. Kansas, 6:38.88; 6. SMU, 6:39.61
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Women's 2v8+ Grand Finals
1. Alabama, 6:40.20; 2. Kansas State, 6:43.08; 3. UCF, 6:44.91; 4. SMU, 6:46.14; 5. Kansas, 6:51.45; 6. Tulsa, 6:52.49
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Women's 3v8+ Grand Finals
1. Alabama, 6:52.50; 2. Kansas State, 6:59.72; 3. Kansas, 7:12.59; 4. UCF, 7:13.85; 5. Clemson, 7:20.37; 6. Jacksonville, 7:36.72; 7. Miami, 7:42.42
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Women's 1v4+ Grand Finals
1. UCF, 7:21.30; 2. Alabama, 7:26.09; 3. Kansas State, 7:27.20; 4. Tulsa, 7:31.31; 5. Louisville, 7:33.27; 6. SMU, 7:44.19
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Women's 2v4+ Grand Finals
1. Alabama, 7:33.10; 2. Kansas State, 7:38.89; 3. UCF, 7:40.07; 4. Miami, 7:43.34; 5. Louisville, 7:44.73; 6. SMU, 7:45.33; 7. Kansas, 7:47.45
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K-State Lineups
Saturday Morning Session
First Varsity Eight
Cox: Emily Johnson, 8. Taylor Flowers, 7. Elaina Grantham 6. Grace Reilly, 5. Kennedy Felice, 4. Madison Jensen, 3. Mikaela Bennett, 2. Mattie Warner, 1. Caroline Geither.
Second Varsity Eight
Cox: Allie Kleinsmith, 8. Marisa Rodriguez, 7. Taylor Hartman, 6. Natasha Johnson, 5. Jordan Lund, 4. Maya Morrow, 3. Megan Michaelis, 2. Rachel Haskell, 1. Megan Chrisco.
Third Varsity Eight
Cox: Morgan Thompson, 8. Samantha Samskey, 7. Madison Rebel, 6. Elizabeth Mummert, 5. Megan Kelly, 4. Ellie Hahn, 3. Elizabeth Sloan, 2. Kate Odgers, 1. Delaney Bird.
First Varsity Four
Cox: Kaitlyn Henke, 4. Kaylin Edwards, 3. Selena Wapelhorst, 2. Logan Frost, 1. Abigail Dressler.
Second Varsity Four
Cox: Kylee Stec, 4. Molly Ross, 3. Nikole Cain, 2. Leah Gaines, 1. Aubrey Gilchrist.
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