Rowing Announces 2016 Recruiting Class
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas rowing team took another step forward during the fall signing period as the program received nine National Letters of Intent from student-athletes who will begin classes and competition for the Jayhawks in the fall of 2016.
“We are starting to get a pretty good combination of both experienced rowers and inexperienced rowers and I feel with these signees we have some good athleticism,” KU head coach Rob Catloth said. “We have kids coming in with previous rowing experience so I think we have a good mix.
The Jayhawks 2016 recruiting class is comprised of four Kansans and includes out-of-state commitments from Illinois, Tennessee, and Florida.
KU Rowing 2016 Recruiting Class
Kalyn Blessing (Great Bend, Kan.)
Hailey Borden (Geneva, Ill.)
Missy Dantic (Parsons, Kan.)
Moira Frakes (Olathe, Kan.)
Morgan Kottas (Great Bend, Kan.)
Amelia Moore (Sikeston, Mo.)
Madison Moore (Olathe, Kan.)
Baylee Page (Tampa, Fla.)
Mary Margret Rodgers (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
Kayln Blessing | 5-11 | Great Bend, Kansas | Great Bend HS
Blessing comes to Lawrence after completing a successful athletic career at Great Bend High School. Blessing competed in volleyball and swimming, winning six letters between the two. Blessing helped the Panthers capture back to back to back Western Athletic Conference championships in swimming.
Blessing plans to major in biochemistry.
Hailey Borden | 5-10 | Geneva, Illinois | Geneva HS
Hailey Borden is a member of the Saint Charles Rowing Club. She finished sixth in the Women’s Junior 2nd Varsity 4+ at the Indy high school sprints. Borden also participated in the Midwinter Meltdown where she placed sixth in Junior Women 2k.
Borden plans to major in Chemistry while at KU.
Missy Dantic | 5-10 | Parsons, Kan. | Labette County HS
Missy Dantic joins KU after a historic athletic career at Labette County High school. Dantic was the first girl in Southeast Kansas League history to score in a varsity high school football game. She also is also the career point leader as a place kicker while also holding the school record of longest field goal at Labette. Dantic has been an all-league selection for the past two seasons. She has also lettered in track and field.
Dantic plans to major in psychology.
Moira Frakes | 6-1 | Olathe, Kan. | Spring Hill HS
Moira Frakes decided to join her mother’s alma mater by picking KU. Her mother Barb played volleyball for the Jayhawks. Frakes was a standout volleyball player at Spring Hill where she led the Broncos in kills and service aces her senior year. Frakes also garnered all-conference honors in 2014 and 2015.
Frakes has received the Terry James Social Science Achievement Award and also is a member of the National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society. She is undecided on a major.
Morgan Kottas | 5-8 | Great Bend, Kan. | Great Bend HS
A multiple sport athlete in high school, Morgan Kottas joins the Jayhawks after competing in volleyball, basketball, and softball earning nine total varsity letters. Kottas helped the panthers to a district and conference championship in softball and a district championship in volleyball. In volleyball and softball she received all conference honors.
Kottas is also a member of the National Honor Society and is majoring in prelaw.
Amelia Moore | Sikeston, Mo. | Baylor HS
Amelia Moore rowed with Mary Margaret Rodgers for Baylor Rowing and was also a part of a ten-girl team that set the world record for a 24-hour relay row, which they rowed 340,560 meters for a new world record by more than 25,000 meters. Moore placed fourth at the Tennessee Indoor Rowing Championship in the 8X 500-meter relay while also placing third in the Youth Women’s 500-meter dash.
Madison Moore | 5-11 | Olathe, Kan. | Blue Valley Southwest HS
Madison Moore joins the Kansas rowing team after competing for the Timberwolves in swimming. She has helped the Timberwolves to three 5A state championships. At the 2015 5A state championships Moore placed first in the 200IM relay and 400 free relay, third in the 100 backstroke, and fifth in the 500 freestyle. She was named All-State in 2013 and 2015. Outside of athletics Moore competed in the 2014 Miss Kansas Teen USA Pageant where she finished second runner up.
Moore was named to the principal’s honor roll and is a member of the National Honor Society and the Wolfpack Leadership Crew. She is planning to major in journalism at KU.
Baylee Page | 5-8 | Tampa, Fla. | Sickles HS
Baylee Page comes to Kansas with a decorated rowing past. She earned a silver medal in the Junior 4’s at the 2014 Club National Championships and a bronze medal at the 2015 Florida State Sculling Championships in the junior quad. Page was awarded the Novice Award for the Stewards Foundation.
Page is a four-year member of her student government at Sickles and a three-year key club member. She plans to major in journalism at KU.
Mary Margaret Rodgers | 5-10 | Chattanooga, Tenn. | Baylor HS
Mary Margaret Rodgers will come to Lawrence to continue her rowing career. She rowed in high school for Baylor rowing where she earned an athletic letter. While competing for Baylor, Rodgers finished in ninth place at the Chattanooga Head Race in the youth 4+. Rodgers along with fellow signee Amelia Moore was a part of a ten-girl team that set the world record for a 24-hour relay row, which they rowed 340,560 meters for a new world record by more than 25,000 meters.
Rodgers is a member of the National Honor Society and plans to major in psychology.
