Wildcats Win Two Races Against Kansas in Sunflower Showdown

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The K-State women's rowing team wrapped up the regular season on Saturday (May 3) with two wins against in-state rival Kansas in the Sunflower Showdown on Wyandotte County Lake.

"We want to thank Carrie Cook-Callen and her staff for hosting this weekend. It was a good competition that helped us decide what our next steps should be as we are preparing for Big 12s," head coach Patrick Sweeney said. "We've made a lot of progress as a team and within each boat, but the season isn't done yet.

"When one boat medals or wins, it's like a win for the entire team. Our goal is to stay focused in these last couple weeks of training and put everything on the line to finish the year strong."

The Wildcats claimed two wins, coming first in the 1v4+ and 3v8+ races. K-State previously raced KU at the Sarasota 2k back in March.

"The Sunflower Showdown is always a great rivalry. Racing one-on-one is such a different feeling than in Florida, where other boats come into play," senior Madison Koller said. "It feels very personal and definitely adds to the adrenaline and excitement of the day. K-State family and friends always show out for this race and support like no other fans can."

The Cats claimed their first win in the 1v4+ with a margin of victory of 10 seconds. The crew finished their race with a time of 7:21.1.

"Before the race we knew that KU was a fast team especially off the start, so our goal was to be competitive with them right away. We were able to do just that and started to pull away by the first 500 meters," sophomore Lorelei Harris said. "You could feel the confidence in the boat rise, and we continued to walk. By the 1000 we had a boat length on them and were able to make a shift and focus on ourselves, staying long and connected.

"When it came time for the finish we had open water, but we made sure to stay calm but still aggressive in that last 300 meters."

The boat competed with a lineup consisting of junior coxswain Kennedy Loyd, junior Ellie Erwin, senior Halle Fee, Harris and junior Bianca Wollmeister.

"This time around competing against KU I feel like we, as a team, have gained speed on the water as well confidence," Harris said. "KU is a competitive team, and all of our boats put up a good race against them."

The 3v8+ ended the day with another victory three-tenths of a second ahead of Kansas, with a final time of 6:52.5.

"This time around I was more nervous to race KU because this was a duel against our biggest rival-- no other teams were there to distract us," freshman Abby Farr said. "The support of our amazing crowd- friends, family, alumni, and coaches, really pushed us and gave us the adrenaline to perform as well as we could."

The boat consisted of freshman coxswain Mia Starnes, freshman Karlee Horyna, sophomore Kiersten Playter, Farr, freshmen Delaney Goshorn, Kendall Lane and Annika Janss, sophomore Madelyn Navrkal and freshman Abby Huonder.

"I could really feel the push and determination to win from the very first stroke. As a boat we gave our all- not giving in even when KU gained on us again at the 1000m mark. I really wanted to win and even when I was tired, I kept pushing for my team," Farr said.

"My biggest take away is the amount of improvement we have made over this racing season. Watching through my perspective in the boat, our technique has improved drastically, and we all now have realized we really are fit and strong," Farr added. "We are capable of doing what we thought we would never be able to do."

The 2v4+ opened competition, finishing their race with a final time of 7:32.7. The boat competed with a lineup including sophomore coxswain Regan Ahlers, senior Kyla Traub, sophomore Sienna Pargiter-Walker, junior Ava Werner and senior Grace Hendrickson.

"Facing KU again was a chance to show how much we've improved. Sarasota was tough—bad water, a different lineup, and we didn't race the way we know we can," junior Kay Pakkebier said. "This weekend felt like redemption in a way. We came in with a better mindset, stronger preparation, and much more connection in the boat. It was a completely different experience."

The 1v8+ came in second with a time of 6:26.0, competing with a lineup consisting of junior coxswain Kiersten Schmalz, seniors Rachel Harman and Koller, juniors Gracyn McClain and Sylvia Cunningham, sophomores Anna Guhr and Izzy Ross, junior Grace Hall and Pakkebier.

"Our race was intense from start to finish. We stayed aggressive throughout and made strong pushes. The biggest moment for us came in the final 500 meters—we really found our rhythm and nearly walked through KU's 1V8," Pakkebier said. "That kind of finish and determination from our boat showed just how far we've come. Even though we came up just short, it was one of the best races we've put together."

"We can all be extremely proud of how we raced. We raced hard, made shifts when Schmalz called us to, and did it all together," Koller said. "As always, when one boat wins, it's a win for the whole team. It was so fun to cheer on our boats as they rowed through the finish and came back to the dock."

The 2v8+ competed with junior coxswain Leah Roane, senior Jayden Brandt, junior Makenzie Storm, sophomore Regan Reker, junior Emma Johnson, seniors Madelyn Barrett and Symone Simmons, sophomore Harmony Leiker and freshman Bryn Pawlik. The crew finished their race with a time of 6:44.6.

"I think our whole race was pretty high intensity. We were at a 38/39 stroke rate for some of it, I don't think I've ever been going that fast for that long," Pawlik said. "We are all feeling more confident heading into Big 12s. I think we all know what we're capable of and we've rowed in all sorts of conditions. Whatever is thrown at us won't be something we can't handle."

The Big 12 Championship is next for K-State on Sunday (May 18) in Sarasota, Fla., hosted by UCF at Nathan Benderson Park. Competition will include UCF, Kansas, Old Dominion, Tulsa and West Virginia.

"As we prepare these last two weeks for Big 12s, I know as a team we are all pretty excited to see the work that we have put in all year come through," Harris said. "At the beginning of the year we established one of our team goals to be to medal at Big 12s. I'm excited to see all of our boats go out there and race it hard one last time."

"We're feeling motivated and hungry heading into Big 12s. We know we're capable of big things, and we want to finish the season on a high note," Pakkebier said. "The goal is to leave everything on the water—no regrets, just our best race. We're focused on sharpening the details and building off of this weekend."

Sunflower Showdown
Kansas City, Kan.
Wyandotte County Lake

Second Varsity 4+
1. Kansas; 7:24.8, 2. K-State; 7:32.7, 3. Creighton; 7:46.6

First Varsity 8+
1. Kansas; 6:23.6, 2. K-State; 6:26.0, 3. Creighton; 6:38.9

Second Varsity 8+
1. Kansas; 6:39.0, 2. K-State; 6:44.6, 3. Creighton; 6:57.1

First Varsity 4+
1. K-State; 7:21.1, 2. Kansas; 7:31.0, 3. Creighton; 7:42.4

Third Varsity 8+
1. K-State; 6:52.5, 2. Kansas; 6:52.8, 3. Creighton; 7:32.5

K-State lineups
2v4+ lineup:
Coxswain: Regan Ahlers, Stroke: Kyla Traub, 3. Sienna Pargiter-Walker, 2. Ava Werner, 1. Grace Hendrickson

1v8+ lineup:
Coxswain: Kiersten Schmalz, Stroke: Rachel Harman, 7. Madison Koller, 6. Gracyn McClain, 5. Sylvia Cunningham, 4. Anna Guhr, 3. Izzy Ross, 2. Grace Hall, 1. Kay Pakkebier

2v8+ lineup:
Coxswain: Leah Roane, Stroke: Jayden Brandt, 7. Makenzie Storm, 6. Regan Reker, 5. Emma Johnson, 4. Madelyn Barrett, 3. Symone Simmons, 2. Harmony Leiker, 1. Bryn Pawlik

1v4+ lineup:
Coxswain: Kennedy Loyd, Stroke: Ellie Erwin, 3. Halle Fee, 2. Lorelei Harris, 1. Bianca Wollmeister

3v8+ lineup:
Coxswain: Mia Starnes, Stroke: Karlee Horyna, 7. Kiersten Playter, 6. Abby Farr, 5. Delaney Goshorn, 4. Kendall Lane, 3. Annika Janss, 2. Madelyn Navrkal, 1. Abby Huonder

-- 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 Win Two Races Against Kansas in Sunflower Showdown

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Players Mentioned

Regan Ahlers

Madelyn Barrett

Jayden Brandt

Sylvia Cunningham

Ellie Erwin

Abby Farr

Halle Fee

Delaney Goshorn

Anna Guhr

Grace Hall

Rachel Harman

Lorelei Harris

Grace Hendrickson

Karlee Horyna

Abby Huonder

Annika Janss

Emma Johnson

Madison Koller

Kendall Lane

Harmony Leiker

Kennedy Loyd

Gracyn McClain

Madelyn Navrkal

Kay Pakkebier

Sienna Pargiter-Walker

Bryn Pawlik

Kiersten Playter

Regan Reker

Leah Roane

Izzy Ross

Kiersten Schmalz

Symone Simmons

Mia Starnes

Makenzie Storm

Kyla Traub

Ava Werner

Bianca Wollmeister