Nov. 3, 2001

MANHATTAN, Kan. - In its final regatta of the 2001 fall season, the Kansas State rowing team finished one point behind Kansas on Saturday at the Sunflower Showdown on Tuttle Creek Lake Reservoir.

The Third Novice 8s started the day with KSU-A taking first in a time of 7:57, putting the Wildcats on the board first with one point. KU finished ten seconds behind the 'Cats A boat, giving K-State its largest margin of victory for the day. The KSU-B boat rounded out the field recording a time of 8:33.7.

"The novices did a tremendous job today," head novice coach Kevin Harris said. "I am especially proud of the three coxswains. Melissa Holder, Brigid Driscoll and Ashley Luney did a great job steering and managing the race course for the first 2K."

The second race of the day, the Third Varsity 4, gave the Jayhawks the overall lead when KU-A posted a 7:18.4 time for the win and three points. KU-B took second with a time of 7:25.4 and KSU recorded a 7:37.9 to finish third.

Kansas then increased its lead by gaining five points with a win in the Second Varsity 8 race. The KU-A boat took first with a time of 6:52.13, with the KSU boat finishing six seconds behind in 6:58.43.

"The last couple of years this series has come down to one point," head coach Jenny Hale said. "We gave away a couple of races today. We gave away the First Novice and the Second Varsity. We can't give away races."

Kansas posted a time of 7:14.84 in the First Novice 8 race, with K-State finishing two seconds behind in 7:16.43. The win gave the Jayhawks five additional points to increase their lead to 13-1 over the Wildcats.

"This is the closest we have been to KU in the first novice 8 in a while," Harris said. "KU had a couple of people who had rowed in high school. The difference in this race was experience."

The K-State novices stepped up for the Wildcats in the fifth race of the day when the KSU Second Novice 8 posted a 7:44.95 to finish first. KU finished seven seconds behind the Wildcats with a time of 7:51.25.

"Winning two out of three novice races is a great thing," Harris said. "The strokes in the second and third Novice 8 did a great job managing the crews and getting them down the race course. I am proud and I feel we are at a good starting point for the spring."

The final race of the day also went to Kansas State with the First Varsity 8 boat recording a time of 6:38.57 to beat the Kansas Varsity 8 by five seconds. The win added eight points to the Wildcats' score for a total of 12 points to the Jayhawks' 13.

"It is hard to win the Varsity 8 race and have the cup go away," Hale said. "It is important for the team to remember that this dual series with KU is about team competition, about 'your' boat putting points on the board."

Today marked the fifth meeting of the Kansas State-Kansas series, which KU now leads 3-2.

Following today's races and the presentation of the cup to KU, the Wildcat rowing program honored Ida Conrow McGhee in a boat-dedication ceremony. McGehee is Kansas State's oldest-living female letterwinner. She is 102 years old and lettered in five sports while a student at K-State.

"I want to thank Ida and all of her extended family who were here today," Hale said. "It is so tremendous that we have the opportunity to dedicate our racing boat to someone who represents the whole spirit of adding rowing as a Title IX sport, and that spirit is to create more opportunity for women to compete in athletics at the highest level."