UCO Set For Rowing Debut

9/28/2011 1:03:00 PM

Bronchos To Open Season
Central Oklahoma will make its fall rowing debut this weekend when the Bronchos participate in the Head of the Oklahoma Regatta on the Oklahoma River in downtown Oklahoma City.

UCO will have teams competing in the Collegiate 8+, Collegiate 4+, Open 2- and Open 4+.

The Bronchos open the two-day event Saturday in the Collegiate 8+ at 12:30 p.m. and the Collegiate 4+ at 4:20 p.m., with the finals for those races set for 7 p.m. UCO returns Sunday for the Open 2- at 9 a.m. and the Open 4+ at 10:55 a.m.

Click here for a map of where to park on the Oklahoma River.

Experience Returns
UCO returns six members of last year's varsity Collegiate 8+ team that was ranked as high as No. 8 in the nation last year, including Katerina Gabrovska, Sarah Jones, Kelsey Philhower, Kristin Philhower, Rachel Kliewer and Jessica Lawson.

All six will be racing this weekend, with most holding down seats in the Collegiate 8+ as well as doubling up in the other races.

Sophomores Step Up
Making their varsity debut this weekend will be sophomores Brittany Rawlins, Michaela Rabenhorst, Jenna Goodner and Jasmine Espino, who will be competing in the Collegiate 8+ against a rugged field that has UCO as the only non-Division I team in the field. Three of those four were part of the Novice 4+ that placed third in the prestigious Southern Intercollegiate Regatta last spring.

The Lineups
Here are the projected lineups for each both this weekend:
Varsity 8+ -- Jasmine Espino (coxswain), Rachel Kliewer, Kristin Philhower, Jessica Lawson, Jenna Goodner, Kelsey Philhower, Sarah Jones, Michaela Robenhorst, Brittany Rawlins.
Varsity 4+ (A) -- Caroline Cloud (coxswain), Jessica Lawson, Sarah Jones, Rachel Kliewer, Jenna Goodner.
Varsity 4+ (B) -- Jasmine Espino (coxswain), Vanessa Torres, Rebekah Holman, Courtney Craig, Kristen Clark.
Open 2- (A) -- Jessica Lawson and Kristin Philhower.
Open 2- (B) -- Jenna Goodner and Rachel Kliewer.
Open 4+ (A) -- Jasmine Espino (coxswain), Michael Rabenhorst, Sarah Jones, Katerina Gabrovska, Brittany Rawlins.
Open 4+ (B) – Caroline Cloud (coxswain), Kirsten Clark, Kelsey Philhower, Vanessa Torres, Leslie Dixon.

Coach Andrew Derrick Says
“This should be an exciting weekend for us. It's a very challenging field, but it's also a great opportunity for our athletes to see where we are against some very good competition. It's also a great chance to see which of our younger athletes can step up and make an impact. There are a lot of personnel questions this early in the season and hopefully we can answer a few of them this weekend.”

A Look Back
UCO placed 26th with a time of 16:02 in the Collegiate 8+ in last year's Head of the Oklahoma, setting a personal best for the boat. The lineup was Christian Cantrell, Sierra Crook, Jessica Lawson, Katerina Gabrovska, Sarah Jones, Kristin Phihower, Brittany Koster, Stephanie Lay and Kelsey Philhower.

In the Open double, veterans Jessica Lawson and Kristin Philhower placed 14th with a time of 18:40.

UCO had two boats in the Collegiate 4+. The entry coxed by Courtney Donley with Crook, Jones, Philhower and Courtney Craig finished I 17:45 and the team coxed by Victoria Crowson with Lay, Gabrovska, Sara Thornton and Randi Horn was 10 seconds behind. Both teams were edged out by Iowa and Kansas State.

Print Friendly Version

Related Videos

Related Stories