"This race will be a big challenge," said head coach Rob Catloth. "It's like baseball, the northern teams are at an early disadvantage because of the weather. Texas has been able to be out on the water earlier than we have been. And Texas looks to be really fast."

Texas is coached by Carie Graves, who is in her ninth season as the Longhorn leader. Texas has competed in four regattas this season, including impressive performances in the Longhorn Invitational a weekend ago.

Last year, Texas defeated KU in the Big 12 Invitational by nine points. Despite the overall defeat, Kansas won the Varsity Four race, and fell to the Longhorns by only four seconds in the First Varsity Eight race--the event's marquee event.

"Our goal is to start the season with the best race we can," said Catloth. "We've made a lot of improvement since the fall. I'm pleased with the progress, but until we race, I'm not sure how that will translate into competitions."

The Jayhawks last saw live action on November 10, 2007 when Kansas State defeated KU 16-9 in a fall duel.

For complete results following this weekend's action, please check back with kuathletics.com. The schedule and boatings are listed below.