Kansas Rowing Kicks Off the Fall Season at Head of the Oklahoma

Sept. 29, 2011

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

The University of Kansas rowing team will travel to Oklahoma City, Okla., Oct. 1-2 to compete at the Head of the Oklahoma. This marks the sixth time in the last eight years that Kansas rowing will take part in the event.

Oklahoma City’s premier fall event, the Oklahoma Regatta Festival is a four day celebration of rowing, kayaking, dragon boating, stand up paddle boarding and family fun on the Oklahoma River.

Teams from all over the country will be attendance, including: Colorado State, Iowa, Kansas State, Oklahoma, SMU, Stanford, Texas, Tulsa and Wichita State.

The Head of the Oklahoma marks the first of two competitions that the Jayhawks will take part in during the fall 2011 season. Kansas is coached by Rob Catloth. Now in his 16th season, Catloth remains the program’s only head coach since the team was founded in 1995. Emily Martin and LeAnna Kemp explore their new roles on the coaching staff this weekend with Martin being named an assistant coach and Kemp as the new graduate assistant.

This year’s squad is loaded with youth as the team only has seven seniors on the roster.

“We’re excited to see some of the experienced freshmen and the sophomores who have moved up to their first varsity race, how they’ll compete and how they make the transition to the top-end races,” Catloth said. “We need to get out there and compete at a high level, which is what we’re looking for.”

Last year at the Head of the Oklahoma, four different Jayhawks placed in the top 10 in the women’s collegiate single. In the women’s open quad, the KU team placed second. Catloth said he hoped this year’s squad will be more competitive in the ‘eight’ races than they have been in the past.

Live results from competition on Saturday and Sunday can be found at www.headoftheoklahoma.org.

The rowing team has the rest of October off from competition before heading to Chattanooga, Tenn., for the Head of the Hooch, Nov. 5-6.