K-State Shows Improvement Versus Iowa, Minnesota

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The K-State women's rowing team competed on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning (April 12-13) against Iowa and Minnesota in Kansas City, Kan. at Wyandotte County Lake.

"This weekend was a big learning opportunity for the team. We came here with the goal of continuing to build confidence and gain more experience going up against strong competition," head coach Patrick Sweeney said. "With the way we recruit, we know that we have an uphill battle against schools that focus heavily on bringing in experienced, international athletes. Our team continues to work hard and make the most of the opportunity to learn about themselves, the sport, and really represent what college athletics can be. We're proud of the work our team has done, and we will continue to build up local, homegrown talent.

"Our team should be proud of what they have accomplished, with limited water time and building from the ground up. We know there is still work to do, but the team has done a good job working hard and continuing to show up."

The Wildcats raced in a duel style, with each boat racing one versus one. The team faced the Hawkeyes on Friday, then the Gophers on Saturday. Kansas was also in attendance but did not race the Cats directly.

"I think the team learned that we can do hard things, in hard conditions like we faced this weekend. We went up against some good competition and it taught us how to push ourselves no matter what happens on the course," sophomore Kiersten Schmalz said. "My big takeaways from this weekend are to just keep pushing on to the next, to learn and grow from each race. Keep building!"

Friday's races began with the 2v4+, consisting of freshman coxswain Leah Roane, freshmen Emily Northcutt and Sienna Pargiter-Walker, junior Zoey Whorton and sophomore Kyla Traub. The boat finished second with a time of 8:40.71. Saturday morning, the boat improved as they shaved 17 seconds off their previous time at 8:23.28.

"On Friday we realized that there were several things that we needed to improve on. It was not our best race, but it motivated us to push even harder on Saturday. Which we did," Traub said. "Saturday morning, we were in the first race, so we didn't have to fight the wind and warm temperatures as much. We had a really good start and made good moves when our coxswain called us into them. Our finish was stronger, and we trusted each other the whole race. Because of that we were able to drop 20 seconds off our time from Friday."

The day continued, with the 1v8+ coming in second at 7:06.59 with a lineup of junior coxswain Paige Fox, junior Gracyn McClain, sophomore Sylvia Cunningham, juniors Rachel Harman and Madison Koller, sophomore Grace Hall, juniors Madelyn Barrett and Symone Simmons and sophomore Kay Pakkebier. The boat ran the same lineup on Saturday morning, coming in second to Minnesota at 7:18.72.

The 2v8+ came in second to Iowa, with a time of 7:21.36. The lineup consisted of sophomore coxswain Kennedy Loyd, junior Anna Ryan, sophomore Bianca Wollmeister, junior Emily Stark, sophomore Makenzie Storm, juniors Jayden Brandt and Catie Wood, freshman Kiersten Player and junior Halle Fee.

"Against Iowa on Friday, we had our strongest start of the season. We have spent some extra time in practice working on the starts, so it was exciting to see that reflect in a race," Storm said. "Saturday against Minnesota, our finish was the strong point of the race. We will continue working toward combining these two components together to improve our races overall."

On Saturday, the boat came in second versus Minnesota, at 7:35.48.

"We faced some tougher competition this past weekend, which will help us as we move forward this weekend in Oakridge, as well as the Sunflower showdown, and Big 12 Championships," Storm said. "As a team we learned how to focus on our own boat and on what we can control. During a race there are a lot of uncontrollable things that happen, it is important to not let that get in our head and to produce a race that we can be proud of."

Finishing with a time of 7:54.47 on Friday, the 1v4+ came in second to Iowa. On both days of racing, the lineup consisted of coxswain Schmalz, juniors Neva Roenne and Jordan Girkin, freshman Anna Guhr and sophomore Emma Johnson.

"This race was a little rocky. We had a good amount of wind as well as some errors throughout," Schmalz said. "It wasn't our best race by any means, but we competed well and never gave up, no matter what. We made the most of the time we had."

As wind continued to build on Saturday morning, the 1v4+ finished their second race in second place at 8:34.48.

"The second race was against Minnesota, who we haven't faced yet but we knew were going be some good competition. We had a lot of cross wind this race, but our start was solid and we raced as hard as we could," Schmalz said. "I'm proud of the pushes we made and the opportunities to grow from this race and move onto the next."

Friday continued with 3v8+ racing against both Iowa and Oklahoma. The crew was able to overturn the results of the Sunshine State invitational, finishing four seconds ahead of Iowa with a time of 7:10.57. Oklahoma took first place. The boat consisted of freshman coxswain Regan Ahlers, senior Lindsey DeVreugd, sophomore Ellie Erwin, freshmen Regan Reker, Izzy Ross, and Madelyn Navrkal, sophomore Ava Werner and freshmen Lorelei Harris and Harmony Leiker. Saturday morning, racing with the same lineup, the crew came in second to Minnesota at 7:53.73.

"Our first race, against Iowa, was our best out of the two. We started out a little rough but throughout the race, Ahlers made good calls to get us together and we ran through Iowa fast once we hit the 1000 mark," Leiker said. "Our second race was messy and not as connected. The wind was not in our favor, and we did catch a few crabs closer to the end. It was hard to come back after Minnesota got open water on us.

"I think the team learned a lot as a whole. The competition was tough, but it was a good way to see where we are currently sitting with these very competitive teams."

Coming off this weekend, the team is maintaining their focus on the rest of the season.

"Overall, I think this weekend was a good learning experience for all of us. It gave us an opportunity to get on the water and see what we can do," Traub said. "It also allowed us to get a feel for our upcoming competition against KU in the Sunflower Showdown. If anything, our team came away from the Double Duel with more motivation and anticipation for this upcoming weekend.

"I'm eager to see what improvements we can make in practices and carry over into the races this coming weekend."

The Wildcats will travel next to Oak Ridge, Tenn. for the SIRA regatta on Saturday and Sunday (April 20-21) at Melton Hill Lake.

"We want to thank Coach Carrie Cook-Callen and KU for hosting this weekend. We also want to thank Iowa and Minnesota for traveling to come and compete," Sweeney said. "It was a good weekend of strong racing, and we're looking forward to seeing what our athletes accomplish the rest of this season.

"As the landscape of collegiate rowing continues to shift, my staff and I will continue connecting with athletes that want to do the work, primarily athletes from different sport backgrounds. We will continue to look for athletes that are ready for the opportunity to contribute to a program that wants to see them reach their full potential."

Double Duel (Iowa/Minnesota)
Wyandotte County Lake
Kansas City, Kan.

Friday Results (Iowa)
Second Varsity 4+ (2v4+)
1. Iowa; 7:59.65, 2. K-State; 8:40.71

First Varsity 8+ (1v8+)
1. Iowa; 6:54.15, 2. K-State; 7:06.59

Second Varsity 8+ (2v8+)
1. Iowa; 7:07.83, 2. K-State; 7:21.36

First Varsity 4+ (1v4+)
1. Iowa; 7:49.28, 2. K-State; 7:54.47

Third Varsity 8+ (3v8+)
1. Oklahoma; 7:03.30, 2. K-State; 7:10.57, 3. Iowa; 7:14.47 7:03.30

Saturday Results (Minnesota)
Second Varsity 4+ (2v4+)
1. Minnesota; 8:04.75, 2. K-State; 8:23.28

First Varsity 8+ (1v8+)
1. Minnesota; 7:00.50, 2. K-State; 7:18.72

Second Varsity 8+ (2v8+)
1. Minnesota; 7:21.81, 2. K-State; 7:35.48

First Varsity 4+ (1v4+)
1. Minnesota; 8:27.29, 2. K-State; 8:34.48

Third Varsity 8+ (3v8+)
1. Minnesota; 7:43.02, 2. K-State; 7:53.73

K-State lineups (Friday & Saturday)
2v4+ lineup:
Coxswain: Leah Roane, Stroke: Emily Northcutt, 3. Sienna Pargiter-Walker, 2. Zoey Whorton, 1. Kyla Traub

1v8+ lineup:
Coxswain: Paige Fox, Stroke: Gracyn McClain, 7. Sylvia Cunningham, 6. Rachel Harman, 5. Madison Koller, 4. Grace Hall, 3. Madelyn Barrett, 2. Symone Simmons, 1. Kay Pakkebier

2v8+ lineup:
Coxswain: Kennedy Loyd, Stroke: Anna Ryan, 7. Bianca Wollmeister, 6. Emily Stark, 5. Makenzie Storm, 4. Jayden Brandt, 3. Catie Wood, 2. Kiersten Playter, 1. Halle Fee

1v4+ lineup:
Coxswain: Kiersten Schmalz, Stroke: Neva Roenne, 3. Jordan Girkin, 2. Anna Guhr, 1. Emma Johnson

3v8+ lineup:
Coxswain: Regan Ahlers, Stroke: Lindsey DeVreugd, 7. Ellie Erwin, 6. Regan Reker, 5. Izzy Ross, 4. Madelyn Navrkal, 3. Ava Werner, 2. Lorelei Harris, 1. Harmony Leiker

How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on the K-State Women's Rowing Team, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Threads, Facebook and Instagram.

Kansas State University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Regan Ahlers

Madelyn Barrett

Jayden Brandt

Sylvia Cunningham

Ellie Erwin

Halle Fee

Paige Fox

Jordan Girkin

Anna Guhr

Rachel Harman

Lorelei Harris

Emma Johnson

Madison Koller

Harmony Leiker

Kennedy Loyd

Gracyn McClain

Madelyn Navrkal

Emily Northcutt

Kay Pakkebier

Sienna Pargiter-Walker

Kiersten Playter

Regan Reker

Leah Roane

Neva Roenne

Izzy Ross

Anna Ryan

Kiersten Schmalz

Symone Simmons

Emily Stark

Makenzie Storm

Kyla Traub

Ava Werner

Zoey Whorton

Bianca Wollmeister

Catie Wood