The Kansas State rowing team traveled to Sacramento, California, on March 17 and 18 to compete in the Hornet Invitational. The team finished first eight times at the start of their spring training camp.
Over the course of the weekend, K-State faced off against boats representing St. Mary’s, Gonzaga, Sacramento State and San Diego State.
Saturday morning started with three races versus St. Mary’s. K-State’s 1v8+ boat finished with a time of 6:53.7, and the boat for St. Mary’s came in at 7:02.1.
After the Wildcats beat St. Mary’s in the first three races of the day, K-State concluded its morning by placing first against Gonzaga with their 3v8+ boat. They finished the race in 7:18.6.
To start off the afternoon, the Wildcats raced against Sacramento State. Their 3v8+ boat came in first with a time of 7:51.1.
“I was really pleased with the team and how they performed this weekend,” head coach Patrick Sweeney said to K-State Sports. “Whether it was a win or a loss, from race to race they were getting faster and making improvements, so that was really good to see.”
To finish out the first day of competition, K-State won the v4+ race. The 1v4+ and 2v4+ boats finished in first and second, respectively. This gave K-State six first-place finishes for the day.
“They were learning in their boats; they’re starting to learn how to race and make improvements,” Sweeney said to K-State Sports. “Overall I was very pleased with how the boats did on both days.”
On the second day of the invitational, the Wildcats finished in second in the 1v8+ race against San Diego State in 6:41.7.
K-State was able to pass San Diego State in the 2v8+ race and finished in 6:55.3.
To end the second day, K-State took a first-place finish in the v4+ race with their 1v4+ boat finishing in 7:51.5. Their 3v8+ boat took second in the race.
