Rowing Wraps Up Impactful 2015 Signing Class

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Head coach Rob Catloth announced the addition of nine signees to the 2015-16 Kansas rowing team during the spring signing period. That brings the complete signing class to 18 new Jayhawk rowers next fall.
 
“We’re extremely excited about this group,” said Kansas head coach Rob Catloth. “We have a pretty good freshmen group coming in with some athleticism, a few experienced coxswains and rowers.”
 
The 2015-16 commitments are a solid mix of local talent and tested rowing experience that will help ensure that the Jayhawks continue to compete with the best in the Big 12 Conference. The spring signees consist of: Brittany Cost (Olathe, Kansas), Meghan Dwyer (Shawnee, Kansas), Rylee Goodson (Overland Park, Kansas), Jessica Kirchner (Shawnee, Kansas), Victoria Snitsar (Sunnyvale, California), Lilly Stewart (Tecumseh, Kansas), Kayla Stubblefield (San Jose, California), Michaela Theis (Kingman, Kansas) and Paige Young (Liberal, Kansas).
 
“We feel this is a start to another strong freshman class to follow up the one we had this year, which exceeded our expectations,” stated Catloth. “We really believe this class has that same amount of potential.”
 
The coaches are looking forward to the fall when this group will take their first strokes as Jayhawks. According to the staff, the competitive drive and athleticism of the newcomers will be a great addition to the current team.
 
Brittany Cost | 5-7 | Olathe, Kansas | Olathe North HS
Brittany Cost comes to Lawrence just 30 minutes away from her hometown of Olathe, Kansas. Cost competed as a member of the Olathe North High School varsity dance team, the Eaglettes, and participated in several major events including the Best of the Best Kansas Spectacular during all four years of high school.
 
Cost made the Presidential Honor Roll four times and received honors for the 21st Century Geoscience Endorsement Highly Proficient. She also was an award winner at the Gold and Society of Women Engineers of the Greater Kansas City Engineering Fair in 2015. Cost plans to major in petroleum engineering.
 
Meghan Dwyer | 5-9 | Shawnee, Kansas | Saint James Academy HS
Meghan Dwyer comes from an athletic family which produced KU All-American swimmer Debbie (Bunker) Schwartz. Dwyer was a standout volleyball player at St. James Academy where her team finished runner-up at state during her senior season.
 
Dwyer is undecided on a major.
 
Rylee Goodson | 5-9 | Overland Park, Kansas | Johnson County Community College
Rylee Goodson comes to KU with a decorated athletic past. She competed in both track and field and volleyball for the Vikings of Shawnee Mission West. Goodson then took her talents to Johnson County Community College as a member of the track and field program.
Goodson was a member of the honor roll all four years of high school and made the Dean’s list in 2014 at JCCC.
Goodson plans to major in marketing.
 
Jessica Kirchner | 6-1 | Shawnee, Kansas | Shawnee Mission Northwest HS
Jessica Kirchner joins the Kansas rowing team after competing for four years as a member of the swimming team at Shawnee Mission Northwest. She won four athletic letters in her career as a Cougar.
 
She plans to major in mechanical engineering.
 
Victoria Snitsar | 6-0 | Sunnyvale, California | Adrian C. Wilcox HS
Victoria Snitsar was a member of the Chargers basketball team at Adrian C. Wilcox High School, earning one athletic letter.
 
Snitsar won the Academic Block Award, was a Junior State of America National Cabinet Member and a California Girls State Delegate. She plans on majoring in journalism and political science.
 
Lilly Stewart | 6-0 | Tecumseh, Kansas | Shawnee Heights HS
Lilly Stewart will come to Lawrence as a multi-sport athlete. She competed in basketball and track and field for the Shawnee Heights Thunderbirds, earning four athletic letters. She earned a seventh-place finish in the shot put in 2014 at the Kansas State Championship. In basketball, she was named All-City honorable mention as well as All-League defensive team in 2015. She was also an All-City track selection in 2014.
 
Stewart earned Kansas State Scholar high honors each year and will be majoring in chemical engineering.
 
Kayla Stubblefield | 5-10 | San Jose, California | Presentation HS
Kayla decided to join her father’s alma mater by picking KU. Her father Dana Stubblefield is a former Kansas football great who furthered his career in the NFL for many seasons. Kayla played volleyball and was a member of her high schools track and field team.
 
Stubblefield plans on majoring in business.
 
Michaela Theis | 5-10 | Kingman, Kansas | Kingman HS
A three-sport athlete at Kingman High, Theis competed in basketball, track and volleyball for the Eagles. She helped set a school record in the 4×4 relay and was named All-League honorable mention in basketball in 2014. She was also a nine-time letterwinner.
 
Theis was named to the honor roll all four years and named Eagle of the Month. She plans to major in art.
 
Paige Young | 5-10 | Liberal, Kansas | Liberal HS
Paige Young joins KU after a successful swimming career at Liberal High School, where she competed in the butterfly event at state her senior season. Overall, Young earned two letters at Liberal and was a member of the marching band.
 
Young was in the top 50 percent of her class and was a member of National Honors Society. She plans on majoring in elementary education.