Kansas Rowing Fall Recap

Nov. 18, 2011

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The University of Kansas rowing team has concluded its fall season for 2011 after competing at the Head of the Oklahoma and Head of the Hooch.

Through the first two regattas the Jayhawks’ biggest strength came in the singles event.

Senior Melanie Luthi brought home a third-place finish in the women’s single event at both the Head of the Oklahoma and Head of the Hooch. Luthi posted her best time of 18:20.034 at Oklahoma.

Seniors Angela Mings and Paige Stephens had an impressive fall in the women’s single event as Mings finished fifth at Oklahoma and sixth at the Hooch, while Stephens took home a seventh and ninth place finish at the Oklahoma and Hooch, respectively.

“The competition was at another level than it was at the Head of the Oklahoma,” head coach Rob Catloth said. “A couple of the rowers that Melanie (Luthi) finished behind at Oklahoma, she actually beat (at the Head of the Hooch), so it was a really good finish for her. She and Angie (Flores Rodriguez) finished fourth in the double and they were only four seconds back of the fourth-place boat, so they were kind of mad at themselves for that one.”

Head of the Oklahoma – Oct. 1-2

In the women’s open four, Kansas’ three entries finished fourth, sixth and seventh with the best time being 16:38.385. The fourth-place team consisted of Katie Hayes, Amanda Lewis, Erin Brogan, Emma Umbarger and coxswain Lindsey Bricklemyer.

In the collegiate eight night qualifier, the Jayhawk team of Luthi, Mings, Olivia Kinet, Erin Brogan, Flores Rodriguez, Danielle Adam, Stephens, Jessica Miller and coxswain Bricklemyer placed 10th with a time of 14:10.428, while the other Kansas team finished just three spots behind in 13th. Both teams qualified for the petite final later.

In the women’s open double, KU’s two entries took home third and fourth place, respectively. The third-place team of Flores Rodriguez and Luthi finished in a time of 16:02.336, while the team of Stephens and Mings crossed the finish line at 16:46.638.

In the women’s collegiate four, KU brought home another top-10 finish. The team of Kinet, Adam, Schoonover, Eileen Gallagher and coxswain Katy MacCormack finished ninth with a time of 15:46.317. The Jayhawks just missed out on placing two boats in the top 10 as the next group came in 11th.

In the collegiate eight 500m petite final, the KU team of Luthi, Mings, Kinet, Brogan, Flores Rodriguez, Adam, Stephens, Miller and Bricklemyer brought home first place with a time of 01:36.771. Finishing just six seconds after the winning team (third place) was Kansas’ team of Gallagher, Hayes, Lewis, Schoonover, Cara Murray, Amber Malone, Ashlyn Midyett, Liz Scherer and coxswain Olivia Catloth.

Head of the Hooch – Nov. 5-6

In the women’s open eight, the top Kansas boat finished 12th in a time of 18:04.5. Bricklemyer was the coxswain, while the eight rowers included: Bailey Atkinson, Andrea Joyce, Alexa Fowlkes, Brooke Thuston, Molly Boehner, Brogan, Kinet and Gallagher.

On day one of competition, the women’s championship double established itself as the Jayhawks’ best event on Saturday as KU placed two boats in the top eight. Luthi and Flores Rodriguez finished fourth with a time of 19:09.9, while junior Cheyenne Verdoorn and Mings placed two spots behind in sixth, with a time of 20:13.6.

In the women’s championship four, designated as one of four “Row for the Cure” events, Kansas just missed a top-10 finish. Stephens joined Kinet, Gallagher, Brogan and Bricklemyer, as the coxswain, as the team finished 13th in a time of 18:42.4.

The Head of the Hooch was also the first competition for this season’s novice squad. In the women’s college novice eight both KU boats finished in the top-15. The boat comprised of freshmen Atkinson, Joyce, Thuston, Fowlkes, Allie Griffin, Jenni Hartzler, Hannah Silverthorne, sophomore Kaylee Sextro and freshman coxswain Sarah Lasini finished fifth with a time of 18:08.5, while the second KU boat came in 15th with a time of 19:17.6.

Coach Catloth was pleased with his team’s progress throughout the fall season and is excited to see how much the Jayhawks will improve during the winter in preparation for the spring.

“We’re doing well in the small boats, but now we need to improve in the eights,” he said. “That’s going to be our main focus for the spring, improving our strength and being faster in the eights.”

Kansas returns to the water March 9-11, when the Jayhawks travel to Oklahoma City, Okla., for the Oklahoma Invite.