Wildcats Prepped for Annual Sunflower Showdown in Kansas City

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The K-State women's rowing team is set for the annual Sunflower Showdown, against in-state rival Kansas on Saturday (May 3) at Wyandotte County Lake in Kansas City, Kan.

Racing is set to start at 9 a.m. with the following schedule:

9:00 a.m.- 2v4+
9:15 a.m.- 1v8+
9:30 a.m.- 2v8+
9:45 a.m.- 1v4+
10:00 a.m.- 3v8+

"The team has worked hard throughout the year and we're looking forward to seeing what we are capable of at this point in the season," head coach Patrick Sweeney said. "KU is a good program, and we had the opportunity to race them previously in Sarasota. We've improved since then and they have too.

"This weekend will be a good test to see how we respond against some solid competition. It will also be a good read on how much progress we have made since March and what our next steps should be as we are preparing for Big 12s."

The Wildcats last took home the Kansas Cup in 2023, where K-State won races in the 1v8+, the 2v8+, and the 3v8+. KU won the annual showdown in 2024, but the Wildcats saw wins in the 1v4+ and the 3v8+.

Racing last at the SIRA Championship on April 18-19 in Oak Ridge, Tenn., the Cats earned four medals including silver for the 1v8+ and 2v8+, a bronze for the 1v4+ and gold for the 3v8+ racing as a novice boat.

After claiming a silver medal, the 2v8+ earned K-State a consecutive Big 12 Boat of the Week honor on April 24. The team previously earned the Big 12 accolade twice this season, on April 16 with the 3v8+ as well as the first award of the season on March 19 for the 1v4+.

Prior to competing at SIRAs, K-State won four races in the Creighton Duel against the Bluejays on April 13. In the Sarasota 2k on March 28-29, the 1v4+ earned a bronze medal competing against all Big 12 competitors and multiple out of conference ranked opponents.

To start the season the team raced consecutive weekends with five wins against Central Oklahoma and Tulsa on March 8 and in the Hornet Invitational on March 14-15 where the Cats won six races throughout the weekend.

"We want to put as many boats as we can in a position to medal at our conference championship," Sweeney said. "Racing should be fun, but we also want to see what we can accomplish in this last bit of time."

-- 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.

Kansas State University Athletics

Wildcats Prepped for Annual Sunflower Showdown in Kansas City

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