Kansas Rowing Earns One Four Boat Victory at Sarasota 2k

Kansas Rowing Earns One Four Boat Victory at Sarasota 2k

3/30/2026 12:19:00 PM | Women's Rowing

SARASOTA, Fla. – The Jayhawks opened their spring racing season at Nathan Benderson Park this weekend, highlighted by a first-place finish from the I Four boat in the B final on Saturday.

We gained valuable experience this weekend that we can build on as the season progresses, head coach Andrew Derrick said. There were bright spots across all of our crews, but we didn't consistently row to our full potential. Now the focus is on putting those strong sections together to complete a well-executed 2k race from start to finish on back-to-back days.

Friday's racing began with a runner-up finish from the II Four boat, which crossed the line in 7:43.20 to advance to Saturday's A final. The crew featured freshman Hollis Andreen, sophomores Emerson Lithicum and Isabel Smikahl, junior Kaylee Chism and senior Abigail Steffen.

The III Eight boat also secured a spot in the A final after placing third with a time of 7:03.96. That crew included freshmen Samantha Ronen, Talia Copoloff, Suyin Howard and Ashley Herbert; sophomores Morgan Tenpenny and Audrey Crowson; junior Andronika Dyer; and seniors Cathrine Bachovchin and Lauren Burright.

Kansas advanced the I Four boat to the B final after clocking a 7:42.21 on Friday. That lineup consisted of freshman Megan Engerman, juniors Alex Robinson and Sofia D'Ascenzo, and seniors Anastasiia Draha and Rory Brennan.

In the II Eight race, Kansas posted a 6:58.30 to finish fourth and move into the B final. The boat was made up of sophomores Kyra Kavouridis, Martina Zbiralova, Grace Bailey and Kaylie Hellner; freshmen Katariina Peipman, Kenzington Rector and Izzy Rosatto; junior Eva Robinson; and senior Aylin Schafer.

The I Eight crew rounded out Friday's action with a fourth-place finish in 6:46.41, earning a place in Saturday's B final. The boat included For Stars Network Watchlist selections freshman Claire Van Mater and junior Tya Drennen, along with juniors Gracie Shepherd, Sophie Pense, Kathryn Borthwick, Gretchen Schmierer Knust and Ruby Moritz-Cammack, and seniors Lindsey True and Kara Lyons.

On Saturday, the II Four (7:55.73), III Eight (7:26.65) and I Eight (7:14.68) each placed sixth in their respective finals.

Racing in Lane 6 of the B final, the I Four boat captured Kansas' lone win of the weekend, finishing first with a time of 8:10.15 ahead of Big 12 competitors K-State and Tulsa.

The II Eight boat closed out the regatta with a fifth-place finish in the B final, clocking a 7:30.73 and narrowly missing fourth place by fractions of a second.

UP NEXT

The Jayhawks are set to take on Big 12 opponent, Kansas State Wildcats in the Dillion's Sunflower Showdown at Wyandotte County Lake & Park in Kansas City, Kan. on Saturday, Apr. 11th. Times will be announced soon.