Longhorns Race Past Jayhawks in Season Opener

Kansas will face Texas again in the Big 12 Invitational on May 4.

March 29, 2008

AUSTIN, Texas - Texas defeated Kansas rowing Saturday morning on Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas, in the Jayhawks 2008 spring opener. The regatta featured six races, with the Longhorns taking all six races. The Jayhawks, however, did receive some solid performances from its Varsity Four and Novice boats, as they suffered narrow defeats.

Despite Saturday's regatta being Texas' fourth competition of the spring, KU's first varsity eight boat finished in a time of 7:01.0, 11.1 seconds behind the Longhorns' winning performance. The second varsity eight boat completed the course in 7:17.8.

KU's varsity four boat finished in 7:52.0, just 2.4 seconds behind Texas' winning time.

Although the Jayhawks did not win a race, head coach Rob Catloth was encouraged by his team's performance at the meet.

"We had a really good race," said Catloth. "It was as close as its been in a few years with Texas this early on. Comparing us right now is like comparing apples-to-oranges, but come May it will be apples-to-apples."

Kansas also raced three novice boats in the duel, with the second novice eight boat finishing in 7:26.1 in the closest race of the day, falling to Texas by 1.8 seconds. The first novice eight boat finished in an impressive 7:18.0. The third novice eight boat crossed the wire in a time of 7:51.4

"I think today was more successful than the results show. We were very good for how young we are," Catloth added.

The Jayhawks will return to the water Saturday, April 12 against the Kansas State Wildcats. The duel will take place in Kansas City, with the starting time still pending. Please check back with kuathletics.com for all the latest women's rowing information. Today's results are listed below.

Results

Third Novice Eight
Texas: 7:24.2
Kansas: 7:51.4

Second Novice Eight
Texas: 7:24.3
Kansas: 7:26.1

First Novice Eight
Texas: 7:04.8
Kansas: 7:18.0

Varsity Four
Texas: 7:49.6
Kansas: 7:52.0

Second Varsity Eight
Texas: 7:02.0
Kansas: 7:17.8

First Varsity Eight
Texas: 6:50.1
Kansas: 7:01.0