Kansas Riding Strong Momentum into Big 12 Rowing Championship
Stats DeltaTiming.com
Link Big 12 Championship Central [Video / Results / Heat Sheets]
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – Following a rousing 22-0 sweep over Kansas State in the Sunflower Showdown, the Kansas rowing team is primed to compete in the 2016 Big 12 Championship at Melton Hill Lake on Saturday and Sunday in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
“Our team is very motivated going into this Big 12 regatta,” Kansas head coach Rob Catloth said. “The Sunflower Showdown sweep was a good confidence-builder that also showed them what they are doing has them headed in the right direction, speed-wise. We are going to Oak Ridge motivated to succeed and use this event to see how we stack up against our conference.”
KU’s First Varsity Eight, fresh off earning Big 12 Boat of the Week honors on May 6, will play an integral role as Kansas seeks its first-ever Big 12 Championship title. The Jayhawks have finished either third or fourth as a team in the eight-year history of the Big 12 regatta.
For the second consecutive season, Melton Hill Lake and Big 12 affiliate member Tennessee will host the Championship. Kansas is returning to Melton for the second time this season after competing in the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational in March.
“It’s a beautiful area,” Catloth said. “It’s a nice course – they have hosted a number of NCAA Championships there before so we know we can expect good waters. Even though it’s out of the traditional region of the Big 12, it is a good and fair location for a first-class rowing event.”
Alabama, Old Dominion and Tennessee will join Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia as affiliate members to compete for the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Rowing Championship. Texas won the automatic bid last season and has won five conference championship in seven years.
The event will be split into two days with afternoon heats on Saturday to determine lane assignments for Sunday morning’s Petite and Grand Final races. Action begins at 1 p.m. Central time on Saturday, and 8 a.m. Central time on Sunday. The Big 12 Champion will be crowned during the awards ceremony at 11 a.m. Central time.
Live results will be available at DeltaTiming.com or at @KU_Rowing on Twitter.
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
May 14
1 p.m. – 1V8, Heats 1 & 2
1:30 p.m. – 2V8, Heats 1 & 2
2 p.m. – 1V4, Heats 1 & 2
2:30 p.m. – 2V4, Heats 1 & 2
3:00 p.m. – 3V8, Heats 1 & 2
3:30 p.m. – 3V4 Exhibition
May 15
8 a.m. – 3V8 Petite Final
8:15 a.m. – 3V8 Grand Final
8:30 a.m. – 2V4 Petite Final
8:45 a.m. – 2V4 Grand Final
9 a.m. – 1V4 Petite Final
9:15 a.m. – 1V4 Grand Final
9:30 a.m. – 2V8 Petite Final
9:45 a.m. – 2V8 Grand Final
10 a.m. – 1V8 Petite Final
10:15 a.m. – 1V8 Grand Final
11 a.m. – Awards Ceremony
KANSAS BOATING ASSIGNMENTS
First Varsity Eight (1V8)
“Sue Anderson”
Coxswain: Mary Slattery
8: Maggie Duncan
7: BriAnna Dittberner
6: Kaelyn Thierolf
5: Allison Schaaf
4: Tessa Scott
3: Margret Winter
2: Jordan Helms
1: Maddie Irelan
Second Varsity Eight (2V8)
“Jayhawk Nation”
Coxswain: Kenzie Obrochta
8: Angie Allen
7: Katherine Young
6: Kayla Stubblefield
5: Angie Flores-Rodriguez
4: McKayla Ross
3: Lexie Lanphere
2: Kaitlyn Hartnett
1: Meghan Karoly
Third Varsity Eight (3V8)
“Quiet Beast”
Coxswain: Abigale Lane
8: Kristen Underhill
7: Bailey Brandon
6: Jackie Adamle
5: Keaton Poppe
4: Regan McComb
3: Emily Ruble
2: Regan Braun
1: Madison Hovis
First Varsity Four (1V4)
“Amelia”
Coxswain: Mallory Miller
4: Bailey Blood
3: Ally Fullerton
2: Peyton Anderson
1: Lilly Stewart
Second Varsity Four (2V4)
“Mawson’s Mission”
Coxswain: Bailey Coolidge
4: Mackenzie Klaver
3: Casey Kelly
2: Kylee Dewey
1: Brittney Railsback
Third Varsity Four (3V4)
“Hudy”
Coxswain: Katie McWhirter
4: Caitlin McNulty
3: Marissa Gray
2: Brooke Haskins
1: Jessica Kirchner
2016 SCORING PROCEDURE
There will be two scoring systems: one for automatic-qualifier determination and one for the Big 12 Champion. Should there be a tie for first place, the AQ shall be the team whose boat finished higher in the First Eight race. Note that crews in the Petite Final can only finish 7th or 8th.
AQ Scoring (ALL TEAMS)
Race: Points (1st to 8th)
First Eight: 24 / 21 / 18 / 15 / 12 / 9 / 6 / 3
Second Eight: 16 / 14 / 12 / 10 / 8 / 6 / 4 / 2
First Four: 8 / 7 / 6 / 5 / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1
Scoring for Big 12 Champion (Only Five Big 12 Institutions)
Race: Points (1st to 5th)
First Eight: 59 / 50 / 41 / 32 / 23
Second Eight: 38 / 32 / 26 / 20 / 14
First Four: 20 / 17 / 14 / 11 / 8
Second Four: 10 / 8 / 6 / 4 / 2
Third Eight: 10 / 8 / 6 / 4 / 2
Should there be a tie for first place, the Big 12 Champion shall be the team whose boat finished higher in the First Eight race. If not all five races can be completed, the Big 12 Champion will be determined by any races in which all heats have been completed.
KANSAS IN THE BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP
Year – Place (Points)
2009 – 3rd (45)
2010 – 3rd (92)
2011 – 4th (54)
2012 – t-3rd (65)
2013 – 3rd (81)
2014 – 3rd (102)
2015 – 4th (80)
KANSAS FIRST-PLACE BOAT FINISHES IN THE BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP
Year – Boat (Time)
2012 First Varsity Four (7:43.69)
2013 Fourth Varsity Eight (6:41.72)
2014 Fourth Varsity Eight (7:44.95)
2014 First Varsity Four (8:21.83)
Q&A WITH KENZIE OBROCHTA
KUAthletics.com recently sat down with junior coxswain Kenzie Obrochta (Buffalo, New York) as she looks lead the Jayhawks’ Second Varsity Eight boat in the Big 12 Championship:
Q: What is one thing you would like for people to know about being a coxswain?
KENZIE OBROCHTA: “That there is a lot that goes into being a coxswain than meets the eye. We steer the boat and have to make specific calls to get the boat down the course in the quickest way possible. Coxswains are considered coaches in the boat so I have to make judgement calls at the right time because there are no timeouts or substitutions you can make during a race.”
Q: What are you most looking forward to about the Big 12 Championship?
OBROCHTA: “After three years of rowing for Kansas, we look stronger than ever as a team and personally my boat (Second Varsity Eight) believes we can compete with the best boats in the league. I love also being able to race in Oak Ridge every year. It is one of my favorite courses.”
Q: What has been the best part of this season?
OBROCHTA: “We were able to start rowing on the Kansas River right when we got back from winter training, which has never happened in Kansas rowing history. It really gave us extra speed and made the attitude of the team more upbeat since we weren’t stuck on ergs all winter.”
Q: Has your training schedule changed ahead of this weekend’s championships?
OBROCHTA: Yes! Other than the fact we travel to Kansas City every day because the Kansas River is too full, we have begun to taper the workouts throughout the week, we work on quick sprinting to gain more speed as we go into the Big 12 Championship.
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