Racing Season Begins Saturday for Kansas Rowing
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LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas rowing enters its 21st year of competition, all under the instruction of head coach Rob Catloth, this weekend as the team begins its spring racing season in Catoosa, Oklahoma, taking on the University of Tulsa on Saturday. The dual will be the first of seven races the Jayhawks will be competing in this spring.
The Jayhawks are looking forward to the start the season in a familiar setting against Tulsa. The team finished up the fall portion of their season in Catoosa on a positive note, sweeping the day’s events placing first in both the Women’s Varsity 8 and Women’s Novice 4.
This first race against Tulsa will not be the typical 2,000-meter spring season race. Varying distances and stroke rates will be featured this weekend, as the rowers will start to get back into racing form.
“There will be a series of races this weekend,” said Catloth. “We are doing a race longer than 2,000 meters down to a shorter race, we are doing four to six pieces at controlled rates and different distances.”
Kansas heads into the spring after a successful fall season against quality competition from the Midwest region. The Jayhawks had twelve top ten finishes over the fall, including three wins. Catloth and the Jayhawks continued to build on the groundwork from the fall season. Traveling down to Tampa Bay, Florida for their annual winter training trip the Jayhawks cleaned up some mechanics. A mild winter at home allowed Kansas to train on the water in January for the first time in the programs history.
With a heavy traveling schedule this spring, this weekend is the first of five away races Kansas will take part in this season, the most in quite some time. The Jayhawks will be taking on nationally ranked teams at the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational on March 12, and the prestigious Knecht Cup on April 9, partaking in the annual Big 12 Big Ten double dual on April 23 then finishing up their regular season at the Big 12 championship on May 14.
“The milestones we are looking towards are how we do at Knecht Cup, the Sunflower Showdown, The Big 12 Big Ten double dual and the Big 12 Championships are the four key stepping stones” stated Catloth.
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