Kansas State University Athletics
Sunday, April 13
Omaha, Neb.
Kansas State University
at
Creighton Duel
Wildcats Claim Four Wins Over Creighton
Apr 16, 2025 | Rowing
K-State wins the majority of races over Bluejays for consecutive years
OMAHA, Neb. – The K-State women's rowing team won four races against the Creighton Bluejays on Sunday (April 13) in the annual duel on Carter Lake.
"This weekend, the team took another step forward as we are thinking about the rest of the season," head coach Patrick Sweeney said. "At this time, our most consistent water time is when we are traveling and competing. That makes finding speed and what combinations work harder. Our athletes have stayed focused and continue to make the most of every opportunity they have to learn and get faster.
"We know what we need to do to be successful by the time we get to Big 12s. Every time we come down the course, the team has done well building on the experience they are gaining from race to race."
The 3v8+ started the day with a win for the Wildcats, finishing at 7:22.6, more than 28 seconds ahead of Creighton.
"We took the start of our race off really hard, but it took us a minute to settle into the rate and connection that we were looking for. Once that clicked, we focused on continuously building our power throughout the whole course," freshman Delaney Goshorn said. "Our coxswain Mia [Starnes] said that we had open water on both of the boats that we were racing before the 750 mark which fueled us to push together to continue building that lead through the finish.
"One of our main focuses as a boat this weekend was to build through the middle 1000 of the race to set us up for a strong finish and I think that we did a great job of working as a team to accomplish that."
The boat competed with a lineup consisting of freshman coxswain Mia Starnes and freshmen Karlee Horyna, Abby Huonder, Kendall Lane, Goshorn, Abby Farr, Katelyn Colwell, Annika Janss and Lacy Miller.
"This weekend was a good confidence booster for our boat as we were able to execute our race plan and come out with a win," Goshorn said. "Our boat's connection has improved tremendously over the course of the season, and we are starting to see that pay off in races which is very rewarding. It was great to see all members of our boat work as one unit to get us the win in the end."
The 2v4+ also came in first with a time of 8:07.8, running a lineup consisting of junior coxswain Kennedy Loyd, junior Kyla Traub, sophomore Sienna Pargiter-Walker, senior Grace Hendrickson and sophomore Kiersten Playter.
"This race felt really together, we have had some connection problems in the past, but during the race we had a good rhythm and we were consistent," Playter said. "We walked through Creighton in the first 250-500, which was super nice, so it was all about seeing how much of a lead we could get."
The 1v4+ came in 1st place more than 30 seconds ahead of the Bluejays, the largest margin of any race on Sunday, with a final time of 7:36.4.
"My boat went into our race feeling confident and excited to see what we could do. We had a solid plan to improve times and speed which we felt was overall executed well," junior Grace Hall said. "This race in particular had low winds so we could really focus on our rhythm at the higher rates without having to worry about external forces."
The boat competed with a lineup consisting of junior coxswain Kiersten Schmalz, seniors Rachel Harman, Madison Koller, Hall and junior Sylvia Cunningham,
"Something my boat took away from the weekend was confidence that we can push the rate and excitement going into the last half of the season. We are fit and strong at this point and now it's just about how hard we can race it," Hall said.
The 2v8+ claimed the Cats fourth win of the day with a final time of 7:10.4, competing with a lineup of sophomore coxswain Regan Ahlers, juniors Ellie Erwin and Makenzie Storm, sophomore Regan Reker, junior Emma Johnson, freshman Bryn Pawlik, junior Ava Werner, sophomore Lorelei Harris and senior Halle Fee.
Running a lineup of junior coxswain Leah Roane, senior Jayden Brandt, junior Kay Pakkebier, senior Gracyn McClain, sophomores Izzy Ross and Anna Guhr, senior Madelyn Barrett, sophomore Harmony Leiker and senior Symone Simmons, the 1v8+ came in second with a time of 7:09.3.
"It has been so exciting to see everyone progress throughout the season, and I am excited to see each boat continuously build through the remainder of our season," Goshorn said. "It has been so fun getting the opportunity to race this year with some of my best friends, and to see our continuous growth during the season has been extremely rewarding."
"We've really come together as a team this season, I think. We've had some lineup changes within each of the boats, so being able to adapt to that as well as some of the conditions that we've had for race days has really helped us," Playter said. "I also think that the freshmen this year have really stepped into their roles, they've done such a great job with racing, and they have such a fun energy that they bring with them no matter what. Theres been just a fun vibe to the team this year."
The Wildcats will be back on the water in the SIRA Championship on Friday-Saturday (April 18-19) in Oak Ridge, Tenn., at Melton Hill Lake.
"The team has been looking strong throughout the season, and we are learning to trust each other and the lineups. We have put the work in and this is go time," Hall said. "As we approach the remaining races, we are hoping to grab some hardware and big wins. These last few are exciting for the team with Tennessee, KU and then finishing off at Big 12's, all giving us opportunities to showcase the work that we have put in this year."
Creighton Duel
Carter Lake
Omaha, Neb.
Third Varsity 8 +
1. K-State; 7:22.6, 2. Creighton 'A'; 7:51.1, 3. Creighton 'B'; 7:52.0
Second Varsity 4+
1. K-State; 8:07.8, 2. Creighton; 8:34.1
First Varsity 4+
1. K-State; 7:36.4, 2. Creighton; 8:11.6
Second Varsity 8+
1. K-State; 7:10.4, 2. Creighton; 7:16.6
First Varsity 8+
1. Creighton; 6:55.1, 2. K-State; 7:09.3
K-State lineups
3v8+ lineup:
Coxswain: Mia Starnes, Stroke: Karlee Horyna, 7. Abby Huonder, 6. Kendall Lane, 5. Delaney Goshorn, 4. Abby Farr, 3. Katelyn Colwell, 2. Annika Janss, 1. Lacy Miller
2v4+ lineup:
Coxswain: Kennedy Loyd, Stroke: Kyla Traub, 3. Sienna Pargiter-Walker, 2. Grace Hendrickson, 1. Kiersten Playter
1v4+ lineup:
Coxswain: Kiersten Schmalz, Stroke: Rachel Harman, 3. Madison Koller, 2. Grace Hall, 1. Sylvia Cunningham
2v8+ lineup:
Coxswain: Regan Ahlers, Stroke: Ellie Erwin, 7. Makenzie Storm, 6. Regan Reker, 5. Emma Johnson, 4. Bryn Pawlik, 3. Ava Werner, 2. Lorelei Harris, 1. Halle Fee
1v8+ lineup:
Coxswain: Leah Roane, Stroke: Jayden Brandt, 7. Kay Pakkebier, 6. Gracyn McClain, 5. Izzy Ross, 4. Anna Guhr, 3. Madelyn Barrett, 2. Harmony Leiker, 1. Symone Simmons
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), Instagram and Facebook.
"This weekend, the team took another step forward as we are thinking about the rest of the season," head coach Patrick Sweeney said. "At this time, our most consistent water time is when we are traveling and competing. That makes finding speed and what combinations work harder. Our athletes have stayed focused and continue to make the most of every opportunity they have to learn and get faster.
"We know what we need to do to be successful by the time we get to Big 12s. Every time we come down the course, the team has done well building on the experience they are gaining from race to race."
The 3v8+ started the day with a win for the Wildcats, finishing at 7:22.6, more than 28 seconds ahead of Creighton.
"We took the start of our race off really hard, but it took us a minute to settle into the rate and connection that we were looking for. Once that clicked, we focused on continuously building our power throughout the whole course," freshman Delaney Goshorn said. "Our coxswain Mia [Starnes] said that we had open water on both of the boats that we were racing before the 750 mark which fueled us to push together to continue building that lead through the finish.
"One of our main focuses as a boat this weekend was to build through the middle 1000 of the race to set us up for a strong finish and I think that we did a great job of working as a team to accomplish that."
The boat competed with a lineup consisting of freshman coxswain Mia Starnes and freshmen Karlee Horyna, Abby Huonder, Kendall Lane, Goshorn, Abby Farr, Katelyn Colwell, Annika Janss and Lacy Miller.
"This weekend was a good confidence booster for our boat as we were able to execute our race plan and come out with a win," Goshorn said. "Our boat's connection has improved tremendously over the course of the season, and we are starting to see that pay off in races which is very rewarding. It was great to see all members of our boat work as one unit to get us the win in the end."
The 2v4+ also came in first with a time of 8:07.8, running a lineup consisting of junior coxswain Kennedy Loyd, junior Kyla Traub, sophomore Sienna Pargiter-Walker, senior Grace Hendrickson and sophomore Kiersten Playter.
"This race felt really together, we have had some connection problems in the past, but during the race we had a good rhythm and we were consistent," Playter said. "We walked through Creighton in the first 250-500, which was super nice, so it was all about seeing how much of a lead we could get."
The 1v4+ came in 1st place more than 30 seconds ahead of the Bluejays, the largest margin of any race on Sunday, with a final time of 7:36.4.
"My boat went into our race feeling confident and excited to see what we could do. We had a solid plan to improve times and speed which we felt was overall executed well," junior Grace Hall said. "This race in particular had low winds so we could really focus on our rhythm at the higher rates without having to worry about external forces."
The boat competed with a lineup consisting of junior coxswain Kiersten Schmalz, seniors Rachel Harman, Madison Koller, Hall and junior Sylvia Cunningham,
"Something my boat took away from the weekend was confidence that we can push the rate and excitement going into the last half of the season. We are fit and strong at this point and now it's just about how hard we can race it," Hall said.
The 2v8+ claimed the Cats fourth win of the day with a final time of 7:10.4, competing with a lineup of sophomore coxswain Regan Ahlers, juniors Ellie Erwin and Makenzie Storm, sophomore Regan Reker, junior Emma Johnson, freshman Bryn Pawlik, junior Ava Werner, sophomore Lorelei Harris and senior Halle Fee.
Running a lineup of junior coxswain Leah Roane, senior Jayden Brandt, junior Kay Pakkebier, senior Gracyn McClain, sophomores Izzy Ross and Anna Guhr, senior Madelyn Barrett, sophomore Harmony Leiker and senior Symone Simmons, the 1v8+ came in second with a time of 7:09.3.
"It has been so exciting to see everyone progress throughout the season, and I am excited to see each boat continuously build through the remainder of our season," Goshorn said. "It has been so fun getting the opportunity to race this year with some of my best friends, and to see our continuous growth during the season has been extremely rewarding."
"We've really come together as a team this season, I think. We've had some lineup changes within each of the boats, so being able to adapt to that as well as some of the conditions that we've had for race days has really helped us," Playter said. "I also think that the freshmen this year have really stepped into their roles, they've done such a great job with racing, and they have such a fun energy that they bring with them no matter what. Theres been just a fun vibe to the team this year."
The Wildcats will be back on the water in the SIRA Championship on Friday-Saturday (April 18-19) in Oak Ridge, Tenn., at Melton Hill Lake.
"The team has been looking strong throughout the season, and we are learning to trust each other and the lineups. We have put the work in and this is go time," Hall said. "As we approach the remaining races, we are hoping to grab some hardware and big wins. These last few are exciting for the team with Tennessee, KU and then finishing off at Big 12's, all giving us opportunities to showcase the work that we have put in this year."
Creighton Duel
Carter Lake
Omaha, Neb.
Third Varsity 8 +
1. K-State; 7:22.6, 2. Creighton 'A'; 7:51.1, 3. Creighton 'B'; 7:52.0
Second Varsity 4+
1. K-State; 8:07.8, 2. Creighton; 8:34.1
First Varsity 4+
1. K-State; 7:36.4, 2. Creighton; 8:11.6
Second Varsity 8+
1. K-State; 7:10.4, 2. Creighton; 7:16.6
First Varsity 8+
1. Creighton; 6:55.1, 2. K-State; 7:09.3
K-State lineups
3v8+ lineup:
Coxswain: Mia Starnes, Stroke: Karlee Horyna, 7. Abby Huonder, 6. Kendall Lane, 5. Delaney Goshorn, 4. Abby Farr, 3. Katelyn Colwell, 2. Annika Janss, 1. Lacy Miller
2v4+ lineup:
Coxswain: Kennedy Loyd, Stroke: Kyla Traub, 3. Sienna Pargiter-Walker, 2. Grace Hendrickson, 1. Kiersten Playter
1v4+ lineup:
Coxswain: Kiersten Schmalz, Stroke: Rachel Harman, 3. Madison Koller, 2. Grace Hall, 1. Sylvia Cunningham
2v8+ lineup:
Coxswain: Regan Ahlers, Stroke: Ellie Erwin, 7. Makenzie Storm, 6. Regan Reker, 5. Emma Johnson, 4. Bryn Pawlik, 3. Ava Werner, 2. Lorelei Harris, 1. Halle Fee
1v8+ lineup:
Coxswain: Leah Roane, Stroke: Jayden Brandt, 7. Kay Pakkebier, 6. Gracyn McClain, 5. Izzy Ross, 4. Anna Guhr, 3. Madelyn Barrett, 2. Harmony Leiker, 1. Symone Simmons
-- k-statesports.com --
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), Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
K-State Rowing at the Jayhawk Jamboree
Sunday, October 26
K-State Rowing | Oct. 6 - Morning Practice
Monday, October 06
K-State Rowing | Symone Simmons 2025 Senior Video
Wednesday, May 14
K-State Rowing | 2024-2025 Thank You Seniors
Wednesday, May 14