Aug. 15, 2001

MANHATTAN, Kan. - Kansas State Rowing Head Coach Jenny Hale announced the signing of two new recruits for the 2001-2002 K-State rowing team. The addtition of Lindsay Gourlay and Kate Rulifson bring the recruiting class to seven for the 2001-2002 season.

Gourlay resides in Manhattan, Kan., but maintains her Canadian citizenship. The 5-foot-8 recruit joins Angela Murray (Calgary, Alb.) and Marja-Lisa Paulson (Prince George, B.C.) as the first international students to be recruited onto the Kansas State rowing team.

Gourlay rowed for one year with the K-State Junior Team, competing in the varsity eight and varsity four events at the 2001 Great Plains Regatta and the Midwest Scholastic Championships. The former soccer and hockey player is a graduate of Manhattan High School.

"Lindsay shows great skill and aptitude for a young woman who has only rowed for one year," said Hale. "She is smart, takes coaching well, and has good form. She reminds me of Carissa Land, who we recruited from Kansas City with less than a year's experience and has made our varsity eight stronger every year. Lindsay has the potential to contribute great things to our program and we are happy to have her."

Rulifson is a native of Bettendorf, Iowa. The four-year rower with the Quad Cities Rowing Association has participated in many major high school regattas, including the 2000 Club National Championships. The 5-foot-8 recruit is primarily a sculler, using two oars rather than one, but managed to help her Pleasant Valley High School team to a nationally recognized eighth-place finish in the women's junior quad at the 2001 Youth Invitational. Rulifson was also on the varsity golf and volleyball teams in high school.

"Kate brings a strong rowing background in small boats to our team," said Hale. "We have been emphasizing small-boat training in the fall to improve our big-boat speed in the spring, and I believe that Kate can help us do that. She brings a sense of balance and finesse that will also promote her as a leader in our novice crew. I am looking forward to seeing what she will do this year and pleased to add more depth to our team."

The Kansas State women's rowing team finished third at the Big XII Invitational in 2001 and is one of the top 30 teams in NCAA Division I rowing. K-State rowing will begin its sixth season of competition on September 29, 2001 at the Head of the Des Moines regatta in Des Moines, Iowa.