Kansas Rowing Announces Eight New Commitments for 2011-12 Season
April 27, 2011
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
Kansas rowing announced eight new additions to the program for the 2011-12 season Tuesday.
Bailey Atkinson, Meghan Cahill, Alexa Fowlkes, Allison Griffin, Jenni Hartzler, Leah Roy, Hannah Silverthorne and Katie Whiteman have all signed letters of intent or committed to join the Kansas rowing team for the upcoming season.
They join a recruiting class that includes Erin Brogan, Angelica Flores, Andrea Joyce and Abbie Watson, who all signed in the fall.
Kansas Head Rowing Coach Rob Catloth Quotes:
On the recruiting class as a whole:
“We’re really excited about this recruiting class. I think we have good depth and great athleticism coming in with our fall and spring signees. We’re still looking for a few more athletes to join this already strong group.”
On Bailey Atkinson (Tecumseh, Kan./Shawnee Heights High School):
“Bailey Atkinson is a rower out of Topeka. She won the Head of the Oklahoma last year and the Frostbite Regatta in Wichita in a single. She’s shown good speed in the single, and we think she can make an immediate impact at KU.”
On Meghan Cahill (Arkansas City, Kan./Ottawa High School/Cowley County CC):
“Meghan Cahill is a volleyball player from Cowley County. We saw her two years ago when she was playing volleyball at Ottawa High School, so we’ve been watching her for a while. She has some really good athleticism, and we’re looking forward to having her in the program.”
On Alexa Fowlkes (Lee’s Summit, Mo./Saint Teresa’s Academy):
“Alexa Fowlkes comes from an athletic family. Her sister was on the Notre Dame soccer team that won the NCAA Championship. She has the right size and pedigree to make a great transition to the sport of rowing.”
On Allison Griffin (Wichita, Kan./The Independent School):
“Allison Griffin is a swimmer out of Wichita with a strong endurance background. Swimmers transfer to rowing fairly easily because they are used to similar types of workouts using a different technical skill, so we’re eager to see how her abilities transition to rowing at the collegiate level.”
On Jenni Hartzler (Kearney, Mo./Kearney High School):
“Jenni Hartzler has been an outstanding athlete in high school. She’s going to be a great student-athlete, both academically and athletically. She earned a Midwest Student Exchange Scholarship, which demonstrates what kind of a student she is. We think her transition to rowing from basketball is going to be an easy one. We’re looking for big things from her.”
On Leah Roy (Kansas City, Mo./Liberty High School):
“Leah Roy is from Liberty. She is a tall, athletic young woman and we’re excited to see her come in and apply those traits in the rowing program.”
On Hannah Silverthorne (Wichita, Kan./Wichita North High School):
“Hannah Silverthorne is a swimmer, but she also rows with the Wichita Rowing Association in their junior program. Her rowing skills coupled with her endurance background from swimming should be a real asset to our program.”
On Katie Whiteman (Bettendorf, Iowa/Bettendorf High School):
“Katie Whiteman rows for the Quad Cities Rowing Club in Illinois. She has rowed in some extremely fast boats in that program and could make a difference right away when she comes to KU.”
