K-State Sweeps All Four Races Versus Creighton

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The K-State women's rowing team had a dominant performance on Friday (April 5), with all boats winning their races against Creighton in Omaha, Neb.

"This race was a great opportunity for the team to continue putting their training into practice coming down the course," head coach Patrick Sweeney said. "The team did a good job of maintaining their focus as we navigated schedule changes and a bit of the unknown. Our athletes made the most of the conditions and it was a productive weekend."

The duel was moved from Saturday morning to Friday afternoon due to predicted inclement weather in the area.

"After this weekend's races, I feel like the team really showed how well we can adapt to adversity and perform under that new pressure. I'm proud of how each boat came out and executed their races, and it's always nice to compete against a team from my home state and win," sophomore Sylvia Cunningham said.

Racing began with the fours, where the 1v4+ and the 2v4+ competed in the same event. The 1v4+, consisting of sophomore coxswain Kiersten Schmalz, juniors Neva Roenne and Jordan Girkin, sophomore Emma Johnson and freshman Anna Guhr, came in first with a time of 7:59.4.

"Our race was a reminder that while we may not be able to control the weather, we know how to row, so we just had to go out there and do what we've been training for," Johnson said. "Since we had a headwind, it made for some slower racing; a good gust came in at about the 500-meter mark.

"We did a good job recovering and kept pushing through the race. By the time we hit the last 250 meters the water started to flatten out a bit. Then we could finally relax and get some length to come across the finish line."

The 2v4+ finished ahead of Creighton, coming in second only to K-State's 1v4+. The boat's final time was 8:14.2. The lineup consisted of freshman coxswain Leah Roane, freshmen Emily Northcutt and Sienna Pargiter-Walker, junior Zoey Whorton and sophomore Kyla Traub.

"We have put in a lot of work in the off season, so it is nice to see that work pay off," Johnson said. "We have room to grow as we are finally getting some quality water time. I am excited to see where that is going to lead us as we continue through our season."

The 2v8+ claimed the second victory of the day, finishing nearly 30 seconds ahead of Creighton, at 7:59.8. The lineup consisted of sophomore coxswain Kennedy Loyd, junior Anna Ryan, sophomore Bianca Wollmeister, junior Emily Stark, sophomore Makenzie Storm, juniors Halle Fee, Jayden Brandt, and Catie Wood and freshman Kiersten Player.

"Right before our race started, we felt the wind pick up, so we knew we had to lock in and make sure we kept our technique together all the way down the course," Ryan said. "We had a strong start and got Creighton's bow ball by the first 250, but after that the wind got to us a little bit. We held onto a strong lead throughout the race and were able to finish strong."

The 1v8+ came in first at 7:26.8, continuing the day's winning streak. The boat consisted of junior coxswain Paige Fox, juniors Gracyn McClain, Madelyn Barrett, Rachel Harman, and Madison Koller, sophomores Grace Hall and Cunningham, junior Symone Simmons and sophomore Kay Pakkebier.

"I really had a lot of fun during our race, even though conditions were not optimal. [Coxswain] Fox made some phenomenal calls that helped us walk through Creighton within the first thousand," Cunningham said. "We also had a good start and that helped us get in a groove in the wind. The race was hard, and we really had to work for it, but we followed Fox's calls and made every push we needed to. That ultimately got the job done."

In the last race of the day, the 3v8+ made a statement, finishing more than a minute ahead of Creighton with a final time of 7:55.0. The lineup included freshman coxswain Regan Ahlers, senior Lindsey DeVreugd and sophomore Ellie Erwin, freshmen Regan Reker, Izzy Ross, sophomore Ava Werner, freshmen Lorelei Harris, Madelyn Navrkal and Harmony Leiker.

"We were able to have a lot of productive water time at spring camp in Sacramento which built a strong foundation for the rest of the season. We saw some strong competition in Florida which really challenged us, and we are looking forward to the next few weekends of racing before the Sunflower Showdown and Big 12s," Ryan said.

K-State travels to Kansas City, Kan., next to compete in a double duel against Minnesota and Iowa on Saturday (April 13) at Wyandotte County Lake.

"The team is looking forward to seeing some new opponents next weekend who we have never raced directly against," Ryan said. "Iowa and Minnesota are very strong Big 10 programs, and it will definitely challenge us to put our best possible race together."

"I'm excited for this upcoming week's races. These are two teams we don't see very often, if ever, and I think each race will help us get one step closer to our goal," Cunningham said. "We saw Iowa in Florida, so we have an idea for what we are up against but since we've returned from FIRA's, I think our team has gotten faster and we'll really be able to compete."

Big 12 competitor Kansas will also be in attendance next weekend but will not be racing K-State directly until the Sunflower Showdown in May.

"We want to thank Coach Chipps and his staff for being flexible and hosting the race," Sweeney said. "We appreciate the opportunity to compete and continue gaining experience. We're looking forward to building from the progress we made this weekend."

Creighton Duel
Carter Lake
Omaha, Neb.

First Varsity 4+ (1v4+)
1. K-State A; 7:59.4, 2. K-State B; 8:14.2, 3. Creighton; 10:17.9*

Second Varsity 4+ (2v4+)
1. K-State A; 7:59.4, 2. K-State B; 8:14.2, 3. Creighton; 10:17.9*

Second Varsity 8+ (2v8+)
1. K-State; 7:59.8, 2. Creighton; 8:27.6

First Varsity 8+ (1v8+)
1. K-State; 7:26.8, 2. Creighton; 7:29.9

Third Varsity 8+ (3v8+)
1. K-State; 7:55.0, 2. Creighton; 9:27.0

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

2v4+ lineup:
Coxswain: Leah Roane, Stroke: Emily Northcutt, 3. Sienna Pargiter-Walker, 2. Zoey Whorton, 1. Kyla Traub

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

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

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