Jayhawks add 10 athletes to 2018 signing class

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas rowing team added 10 new athletes to its 2018-19 roster during the regular signing period. The 10 newest additions to the 2018 signing class come from close to home with nine out of the 10 signees hailing from Kansas or Missouri.
 
KU’s newest rowers include Julianna Castillo (Ballwin, Mo.), Maggie Habben (Shawnee, Kan.), Izzy Hauber (Lutz, Fla.), Jadyn Jay (Topeka, Kan.), Elise Jones (Abilene, Kan.), Ellie Lewis (Ballwin, Mo.), Hope Owens (Olathe, Kan.), Danica Pecana (Olathe, Kan.), Shay Pemberton (Overland Park, Kan.) and Hannah Roemer (Garden City, Kan.).
 
“We are excited to add 10 more Jayhawks to the Kansas rowing family,” said head coach Carrie Cook-Callen. “These signees show our commitment to finding good student-athletes locally from Kansas and Missouri who haven’t had a chance to row in their high school systems, but can transfer their athletic talents to the sport of rowing. Izzy (Hauber) was lucky enough to find rowing at the high school level and has thrived in switching to the sport.”
 
Castillo hails from Ballwin, Missouri and played lacrosse during high school. She plans to study Exercise Science at Kansas.
 
Habben was a two-time varsity volleyball player at Shawnee Mission Northwest high school. She helped the Lady Cougars win the 2017 sub-state championship. Habben, a Shawnee, Kansas native, plans to major in elementary education.
 
Hauber is the only non-Kansas or Missouri resident in this group of signees coming from Lutz, Florida. The three-sport high school athlete earned letters in weightlifting, swimming and crew at Tampa Catholic high school. She was the first rower to medal gold in Florida’s Southern Sprints at Tampa Catholic. Hauber plans to pursue a degree in pre-medicine.
 
Jay prepped at Hayden High School in Topeka, Kansas and lettered in basketball.
 
Jones lettered in both track and field and volleyball at Abilene High School winning numerous awards and titles through her participation in both sports. She plans to major in psychology.
 
Lewis, a native of Ballwin, Missouri, was a four-year varsity tennis player at Marquette High School. While playing for the Mustangs, Lewis picked up all-conference honors all four years of high school, all-metro honors in 2016 and all-state honors in 2015, 2016 and 2017. In addition to her individual accomplishments, the Mustangs won districts and sectionals twice while Lewis was at Marquette. She plans to study Business.
 
Owens was a two-sport athlete out of Olathe East high school, lettering in both basketball and track and field. Owens was a part of the Hawks’ two-time Sunflower League Championship team (2017, 2018) and the three-time Sub-State Champions team (2016, 2017, 2018). She plans to major in Human Biology.
 
Pecana was on Olathe North high school’s 4.0 GPA honor roll all four years and received academic letters in orchestra (2015, 2016, 2018) and student council (2015, 2016, 2017). She also received numerous academic and community nominations and awards throughout her four years as an Eagle. Pecana plans to major in Chemical Engineering with a pre-med concentration.
 
Pemberton is a native of Overland Park, Kansas. She lettered in soccer at Blue Valley Northwest. She plans to study Nutrition and Kinesiology at Kansas.
 
Roemer joins the Jayhawks after spending two years at Garden City Community College. The Garden City, Kansas native was a three-sport athlete in high school, earning seven letters in total in volleyball, track and field and cross country. Roemer qualified for the state cross country meet in her senior season at Garden City High School and was a qualifier for the Kansas state track and field meet all four years of high school. She plans to study pre-medicine.
 
The newest members of the 2018 signing class will join the Jayhawks on campus in the fall.

FOLLOW

@KU_rowing

/KansasRowing

@KansasRowing
KUAthletics.com: The official online source for Kansas Athletics, Williams Education Fund contributions, tickets, merchandise, multimedia, photos and much, much more.