K-State Earns Two Third-Place Finishes at Sunshine State Invitational Friday
Apr 02, 2021 | Rowing
SARASOTA, Fla. – The Kansas State women's rowing team collected a pair of third-place finishes to highlight an overall quality performance at the Sunshine State Invitational on Friday evening (April 2) at Nathan Benderson Park.
It had been over two years since the Wildcats competed in the Sunshine State Invitational, and despite the course
presenting difficult challenges, K-State remained steady to make a statement in the first leg of the regatta.
Friday's schedule of races was highlighted by third-place finishes from the 1v4+ and 1v8+ boats among six other programs. K-State would close each race with under 10 seconds of separation from the leaders to finish in the top three for both races.
"The 1v8+ and 1v4+ raced hard today," said head coach Pat Sweeney. "The conditions on the course were difficult for everyone. They were able to show their commitment and effort again."
The 1v4+ boat powered off the starting line and kept pace with host UCF and Clemson to bring in a time of 8:13.03, which was nearly five seconds back of UCF, which won the race at 8:08.09.
"We had a really strong start," said sophomore coxswain Kaitlyn Henke. "It was obvious right off the bat. We held that through to the 1000. We were fighting with UCF from 750 to 1250. Most of it was matter of technique. We knew that was going to be a challenge. That's our focus going into tomorrow."
It was the same result in the 1v8+ boat, as the Wildcats muscled their way into another third-place outing with a pace of 7:15.20 to finish just behind UCF (7:06.69) and Clemson (7:11.23) to conclude Friday's race schedule. Today's performance from the 1v8+ crew was a repeat from the 2019 event, as that crew glided down the water to place third overall during the evening session.
"The start was a little rough, but the girls came together," said redshirt senior Taylor Hartman. "We made some really good pushes, especially in the middle 1000. Every call Lola (Plum) made, we pushed it up. I could feel the girls behind pushing and making every move."
Hartman also elaborated on the competition out on the water for Friday evening.
"We have some really good teams out here," Hartman said. "UCF is fast. Clemson is fast. KU and us are neck-and-neck. It is a very competitive environment to push ourselves and see what we can do."
K-State recorded finishes at fifth overall in the 2v4+ and 2v8+ races. The 2v4+ boat kicked off the Sunshine State Invitational for the Wildcats, coming in at 9:20.23 to secure a spot in the top five.
Following the 1v4+ race, K-State made good use of its opportunity in the 2v8+ race to capture another fifth-place finish, as the Wildcats crossed the finish line in 7:38.62.
"It was an overall solid day for the whole team," said Henke. "Conditions weren't great, but that's not an excuse. Florida is always a good test."
K-State remains in Sarasota, Florida for the last session of the Sunshine State Invitational, which begins Saturday at 8 a.m., ET with the grand finals.
"It was a solid performance, and we are ready to work on a few things to reach that next level tomorrow," Sweeney stated.
Friday's Race Schedule (April 2)
2v4+ - 9:20.23
1v4+ – 8:13.03
2v8+ - 7:38.62
1v8+ – 7:15.20
K-State Race Results (Sunshine State Invitational)
2v4+
1. UCF, 8:44.97
2. Clemson, 8:53.56
3. Miami, 9:04.58
4. Kansas, 9:15.84
5. K-State, 9:20.23
6. Stetson, 10:41.32
1v4+
1. UCF, 8:08.09
2. Clemson, 8:11.60
3. K-State, 8:13.03
4. Kansas, 8:35.51
5. Miami, 8:39.07
6. Jacksonville, 8:53.56
7. Stetson, 8:58.56
2v8+
1. Clemson, 7:25.90
2. Kansas, 7:31.07
3. Miami, 7:32.45
4. UCF, 7:35.96
5. K-State, 7:38.62
6. Jacksonville, 7:41.25
7. Stetson, 8:10.64
1v8+
1. UCF, 7:06.69
2. Clemson, 7:11.23
3. K-State, 7:15.20
4. Kansas, 7:16.37
5. Jacksonville, 7:23.65
6. Miami, 7:24.63
7. Stetson, 7:30.41
For the latest on K-State Rowing, follow @kstatesports and @KStateROW on Twitter or on the team's Facebook page.
It had been over two years since the Wildcats competed in the Sunshine State Invitational, and despite the course
presenting difficult challenges, K-State remained steady to make a statement in the first leg of the regatta.
Friday's schedule of races was highlighted by third-place finishes from the 1v4+ and 1v8+ boats among six other programs. K-State would close each race with under 10 seconds of separation from the leaders to finish in the top three for both races.
"The 1v8+ and 1v4+ raced hard today," said head coach Pat Sweeney. "The conditions on the course were difficult for everyone. They were able to show their commitment and effort again."
The 1v4+ boat powered off the starting line and kept pace with host UCF and Clemson to bring in a time of 8:13.03, which was nearly five seconds back of UCF, which won the race at 8:08.09.
"We had a really strong start," said sophomore coxswain Kaitlyn Henke. "It was obvious right off the bat. We held that through to the 1000. We were fighting with UCF from 750 to 1250. Most of it was matter of technique. We knew that was going to be a challenge. That's our focus going into tomorrow."
It was the same result in the 1v8+ boat, as the Wildcats muscled their way into another third-place outing with a pace of 7:15.20 to finish just behind UCF (7:06.69) and Clemson (7:11.23) to conclude Friday's race schedule. Today's performance from the 1v8+ crew was a repeat from the 2019 event, as that crew glided down the water to place third overall during the evening session.
"The start was a little rough, but the girls came together," said redshirt senior Taylor Hartman. "We made some really good pushes, especially in the middle 1000. Every call Lola (Plum) made, we pushed it up. I could feel the girls behind pushing and making every move."
Hartman also elaborated on the competition out on the water for Friday evening.
"We have some really good teams out here," Hartman said. "UCF is fast. Clemson is fast. KU and us are neck-and-neck. It is a very competitive environment to push ourselves and see what we can do."
K-State recorded finishes at fifth overall in the 2v4+ and 2v8+ races. The 2v4+ boat kicked off the Sunshine State Invitational for the Wildcats, coming in at 9:20.23 to secure a spot in the top five.
Following the 1v4+ race, K-State made good use of its opportunity in the 2v8+ race to capture another fifth-place finish, as the Wildcats crossed the finish line in 7:38.62.
"It was an overall solid day for the whole team," said Henke. "Conditions weren't great, but that's not an excuse. Florida is always a good test."
K-State remains in Sarasota, Florida for the last session of the Sunshine State Invitational, which begins Saturday at 8 a.m., ET with the grand finals.
"It was a solid performance, and we are ready to work on a few things to reach that next level tomorrow," Sweeney stated.
Friday's Race Schedule (April 2)
2v4+ - 9:20.23
1v4+ – 8:13.03
2v8+ - 7:38.62
1v8+ – 7:15.20
K-State Race Results (Sunshine State Invitational)
2v4+
1. UCF, 8:44.97
2. Clemson, 8:53.56
3. Miami, 9:04.58
4. Kansas, 9:15.84
5. K-State, 9:20.23
6. Stetson, 10:41.32
1v4+
1. UCF, 8:08.09
2. Clemson, 8:11.60
3. K-State, 8:13.03
4. Kansas, 8:35.51
5. Miami, 8:39.07
6. Jacksonville, 8:53.56
7. Stetson, 8:58.56
2v8+
1. Clemson, 7:25.90
2. Kansas, 7:31.07
3. Miami, 7:32.45
4. UCF, 7:35.96
5. K-State, 7:38.62
6. Jacksonville, 7:41.25
7. Stetson, 8:10.64
1v8+
1. UCF, 7:06.69
2. Clemson, 7:11.23
3. K-State, 7:15.20
4. Kansas, 7:16.37
5. Jacksonville, 7:23.65
6. Miami, 7:24.63
7. Stetson, 7:30.41
For the latest on K-State Rowing, follow @kstatesports and @KStateROW on Twitter or on the team's Facebook page.
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