OU Rowing Signs New Members

Nov. 20, 2008

NORMAN, Okla. -- University of Oklahoma women's rowing coach Leeanne Crain announced the signing of five student-athletes on the final day of the early signing period Wednesday.

Rebecca Staff from Phoenix, Ariz., Carly Schueler from Pittsburgh, Pa., Virginia Ratcliff from Chantilly, Va, Meghan Farrell from Scottsdale, Ariz., and Sara Sherrer from Lutherville, Md., will join the Sooners for the 2009-10 rowing season beginning next fall.

"This is a standout class of incoming freshmen and we are very excited about the contributions each of them will make over the course of their careers at OU," Head Coach Leeanne Crain said. "They are excited about being a part of the formative years as we build the rowing program from ground up. Each will make an immediate impact in boat speed at the varsity level, but they will also play a larger role in helping to develop the program. We are fortunate to have such a talented group and can't wait for them to show up on campus next fall."

More on Sooner Signees:

Virginia Ratcliff
High School: Westfield High School
Hometown: Chantilly, Va.
Rowing Experience: Westfield Crew team member, Thompson Boat Center in Washington, D.C.
Height: 5' 10.5”
Position: Port and Starboard
Other Sports Participated In: Swimming, Soccer
Honors and Awards: AP Scholar… Member of the National Art Honor Society… Recipient of the Presidential Service Gold medal for over 500 hours of community service… Elected athlete representative by 9000 Washington Metropolitan area swimmers to the Potomac Valley Swimming Board of Directors… Varsity letters in swimming, crew and soccer… Active member of the Westfield Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Personal: Daughter of Blake and Sara Ratcliff… Granddaughter of Glen and Gloria Ratcliff of Paden, Okla… One younger brother and two younger sisters.

Meghan Farrell
High School: Chaparral High School
Hometown: Phoenix, Ariz.
Rowing Experience: Club team member of Tempe Junior Crew
Height: 5' 9”
Position: Port (Usually stroke seat)
Other Sports Participated In: Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball, Track and Field, Softball
Honors and Awards: Female Novice of the Year in 2007-08… Varsity Women's Captain in 2008-09… First place in Novice Single at the Desert Sprints… First place in the JV Double and first place in the Novice Single at the Long Beach Invitational… First gold medal for Arizona at the Double Brentwood International Regatta… Third place in the Open-weight Varsity Double Southwest Junior Regionals… Second place in the Junior Quad at NARF… 3rd in the Youth 2x at the 2008 Head of the Charles…6th at the USRowing Youth national Championships in the 2x… and 5th at the USRowing Club National Championships in th2-
Personal: Daughter of Echo and Bob Farrell… Older sister, Maddie.
Why Oklahoma: “I chose Oklahoma because when I visited I got a really good feel. The coaches were extremely welcoming, as was everyone else I met on campus. I also really like the team, and the fact that five of Coach Crain's rowers followed her to Oklahoma showed a lot about her as a coach. Knowing all of that information made my decision much easier.”

Carly Schueler
High School: Shaler Area High School
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Rowing Experience: Steel City Rowing Club and high school crew
Height: 5' 4”
Position: Coxswain
Honors and Awards: Member of the National Honor Society… National Spanish Honor Roll Society… Highest Honor Roll…
Personal: Daughter of Jeanne Elbicki and James Schueler… One sister, Lauren, member of the rowing team at University of Central Florida under current OU Coaches Crain, Derrick, and Muhl.
Why Oklahoma: “The first thing I experienced on the University of Oklahoma campus was an overwhelming sense of school pride and team spirit; this made me want to be able to call myself a Sooner more than anything else. Due to the spirit and the opportunities for education and rowing, I chose OU. Having had prior acquaintance with the coaching staff, I'm very excited to have the chance to grow and develop as an athlete and teammate under their guidance. It is my goal to be able to carry the pride and spirit to future classes. I also hope to further my education to a point where I can best decide the direction to take with my future career.”

Sara Sherrer
High School: Maryvale High School
Hometown: Lutherville, Md.
Rowing Experience: Member of the Baltimore Rowing Club team
Height: 5' 10”
Position: Port (usually stroke)
Honors and Awards: Placed third in the petite finals of the 2x at US Rowing Youth National Championships… Third place at the Northeast Junior District… Second place Baltimore Rowing Club in the Varsity 4+ at the Head of the Occaquan… First place Baltimore Rowing Club in the Varsity 4+ at the Head of the Christina… First place in the 2x and 4x at the Baltimore Championships… Third place in the 2x at the Mercer lake Sprints.
Personal: Daughter Joann and Curt Sherrer… Two brothers, Kyle and Ross.
Why Oklahoma: “When I first stepped foot on the Oklahoma campus, I knew it was the school for me. It seemed like a perfect fit, realizing how down-to-earth everybody was. The athletic support and staff were impeccable and the coaches were warm and welcoming. The athletic center understands the concern and anxieties of athletes in college. Oklahoma will be a prominent stepping stone in my path of self realization and will give me the tools and skills to create and mold my vision. OU is a great university with amazing people and I am extremely fortunate to be welcomed into this school.”

Rebecca Staff
High School: Pinnacle High School, Phoenix, Ariz.
Hometown: Scottsdale, Ariz.
Rowing Experience: Member of the Tempe Junior Crew
Height: 6' 0”
Position: Port
Honors and Awards: Member of the Honor Roll… 2008-09 Tempe Junior Crew co-captain… Second place in the Women's Quad at NARF… Sixth place in the Women's Pair at Club Nationals… Member of the State Runners-Up Varsity Basketball team.
Personal: Daughter of Valerie McQuaid and Brian Staff… Two sisters, Olivia (twin), and Natalie.
Why Oklahoma: “I chose to sign with the University of Oklahoma because the program is building and I really want to be a part of the process. I immediately noticed how nice the people were, and the coaches and rowers really made it easy for me to see myself going to OU. I was attracted to OU because of the atmosphere and environment surrounding rowing in Oklahoma. It seems like there is a lot of effort and excitement going into the program to make sure it is successful. I am looking forward to competing at a national level on a team that will be extremely competitive.”

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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