Bronchos Have Solid Opener

3/11/2013 9:59:00 AM

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Central Oklahoma came out strong during Day One of OU Invitational over the weekend, taking two of four races in early racing.

The Novice 4+ (J'Lynn Wiewel, Amy Le, Chelsey McArthur, Asia Strickland, Autumn Gordon) finished first in the opening race, beating out crews from Kansas State and Oklahoma.

The last race of the morning showcased the Varsity 8+ taking on Kansas and after falling back in the first 600 meters, the Bronchos surged ahead to finish seven seconds ahead of the Jayhawks. The Varsity 8+ lineup included Amy VanBuskirk, Michaela Stam, Kelsey Philhower, Karen Hoke, Jenna Goodner, Madison Martens, Tracey Lisowe, Rachel Kliewer, Jenni Hagen.

It was the first time in program history that the Bronchos have defeated Kansas.

The two other morning races featured the Varsity 4+ (Jenn Lee, Hannah Anderson, Brittany Rawlins, Chelsea Robinette, Sam Elliott) and the Second Varsity 8+ (Rachael Baalman, Aleks Stogsdill, Ariel Good, Sam Godfrey, Michaela Rabenhorst, Kalli Schwartz, Morgan Henry, Kirsten Clark, Molly McSweeny) taking on Kansas. Both crews dropped tough races, with the Varsity 4+ finishing with a time of 8:34.08 and the Second Varsity 8+ in 8:04.05.

Inclement weather caused a delay to the beginning of the afternoon racing session, which featured duels against Tulsa.

The Novice 4+ came up just short of their second win of the day over OU and Kansas State, finishing one second behind Oklahoma. The Varsity 4+ took to the water next, but came up just four seconds short in their back-and-forth duel with Tulsa.

In the Second Varsity 8+ race, the Bronchos were taking on two Hurricane crews, including their top lightweight boat. Central's women maintained contact with the Tulsa 2V8 for over 1,250 meters, but eventually fell off and finished in 7:46.93. UCO's lineup was Jenna Laine Meraz, Aleks Stogsdill, Ariel Good, Sam Godfrey, Morgan Henry, Kalli Schwartz, Morgan Henry, Kirsten Clark, and Molly McSweeny.

The Broncho Varsity 8+ concluded the afternoon of racing with a head-to-head duel with Tulsa. After coming off of the line even, the Hurricanes inched out to a boat-length lead by the 750-meter mark and Central ended up finishing five seconds back of Tulsa.

Sunday morning marked a change of wind direction and choppy conditions for all crews, but those conditions didn't slow down UCO's Novice 4+ as the Bronchos which finished their weekend with a second win over OU and K-State. UCO's lineup of J'Lynn Wiewel, Amy Le, Chelsey McArthur, Autumn Gordon, and Marlie Ball crossed the line in 9:01.34, more than seven seconds ahead of the Sooners.

In the Varsity 4+ race, KSU finished 12 seconds ahead of the Bronchos. The Varsity 4+ lineup was Jenna Laine Meraz, Hannah Anderson, Brittany Rawlins, Chelsea Robinette, and Sam Elliott.

The next race featured the Second Varsity 8+ dueling with the Wildcats. A quick start put the Bronchos ahead early, but KSU pulled ahead by the 600 meter mark and went on to win. Central's lineup of Rachael Baalman, Aleks Stogsdill, Ariel Good, Sam Godfrey, Michaela Rabenhorst, Kalli Schwartz, Morgan Henry, Kirsten Clark, and Molly McSweeny finished with a time of 7:35.17, their fastest of the weekend.

The Varsity 8+ race against the Wildcats marked the end of the weekend's racing for both teams and proved to be a close contest for much of the course. Both crews came off the line tied, with the Wildcats gaining a lead around the 400-meter mark and extending that to a boat-length by the 900 meter point before the Bronchos tried to mount an attack. UCO fell short, coming across the line with a time of 7:20.35.

The weekend proved to be a great opportunity to race many of the Division I programs from around the region and gave this year's novice class a chance to gain experience in sprint racing against very good competition.

UCO's next race will be against NCAA Division II South Region rivals Nova Southeastern, Barry and Florida Tech on March 23. The racing will be preceded by a week-long training trip for Central to Orlando, Fla. where they will train on Lake Pickett. Racing will take place on Canal 54 in Melboune, Florida.

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