MANHATTAN, Kan. The Kansas State rowers will aim to regain the upper hand versus rival Kansas, as the two Sunflower State programs will clash in the 10^th edition of the Kansas Cup. The event will take place on Saturday, April 12^th, on the waters of the Wyandotte County Lake in Kansas City, Kan.

“Although we beat KU in the fall, we have to be weary as we have been inconsistent in our performances so far this spring,” head coach Pat Sweeney said. “As usual, we expect this to be tight, competitive racing.”

K-State was unable to extend its streak of wins over the Jayhawks to three with last year’s Kansas Cup, as Kansas edged the Wildcats by a 12-10 score. K-State pulled ahead in two races, with the Second Varsity Eight and First Novice Eight delivering wins over KU.

The fall rendition of this rivalry, the Sunflower Showdown, saw the Wildcats defeat the Jayhawks 16-9. Kansas claimed victories in the Novice races. However, K-State raced to a 16-second win in the Varsity 4+, a four-second victory in the Second Varsity 8+ and an exciting 2.9 margin over KU in the First Varsity 8+. Winning the Varsity races gave K-State the overall team victory for the event.

The 2008 running of the Kansas Cup will begin at 11 a.m. with the Novice 4+. Action will continue with the Novice 8+ at 11:15 a.m., the Second Varsity 8+ at 11:30 a.m. and the First Varsity 8+ going off at 11:45 a.m.

The Wildcats are coming off of a successful run through the San Diego Crew Classic, where the First Varsity Eight advanced to a Grand Final and the Second Varsity Eight had a competitive showing in a Petite Final. The 1V8+ boat raced to a sixth-place finish in the Women’s Cal Cup, while the 2V8+ took second in the Petite Final to finish eighth overall.

A complete recap of the event will be posted at www.kstatesports.com as soon as results become available.

Race Schedule

11:00 a.m.: Novice 4+ (3 points)  Lane 1: KU  Lane 2: KSU

11:15 a.m.: Novice 8+ (5 points)  Lane 1: KSU  Lane 2: KU

11:30 a.m.: 2nd Varsity 8+ (5 points)  Lane 1: KU  Lane 2: KSU

11:45 a.m.: 1st Varsity 8+ (8 points)  Lane 1: KSU  Lane 2: KU