Sooners in Austin for 23-race Longhorn Invite

March 21, 2013 | Rowing

By: Athletics Communications


	The Sooners travel to Austin, Texas for the Longhorn Invitational

Rowing at Longhorn Invitational
Dates & Times	Friday, March 22: 4-6:50 p.m. (OU races at 4:30 p.m.) Saturday, March 23: 8-11 a.m. (OU races at 8:40 a.m.) Saturday, March 23: 4-7 p.m. (OU races at 4:50 p.m.) Sunday, March 24: 8-11 a.m. (OU races TBA)
Location	Austin, Texas \| Lady Bird Lake
Race Info	Full Schedule
Live Updates	Twitter: @SoonerRowing
Additional Info	Twitter \| Instagram

LONGHORN INVITATIONAL PREVIEW
The University of Oklahoma rowing team travels to Austin, Texas for the Longhorn Invitational March 22-24. Hosted by the University of Texas, the three-day event features Big 12 rivals Kansas State and Texas, Central Florida, Iowa, San Diego, SMU and Tulsa. Racing is scheduled for 4-6:50 p.m. on Friday, 8-11 a.m. and 4-7 p.m. Saturday and close with the finals from 8-11 a.m. on Sunday.

The Sooners will race two varsity eights, two varsity fours and two varsity eights. Sunday's finals will feature dual races determined by teams' finishes in the first three sessions of racing. Points will be awarded based on a teams' finish in both varsity eights, the first varsity four and first novice eight.

"We're coming off a productive week of spring break training and looking forward to racing in Austin this weekend," OU head coach Leeanne Crain said. "Kansas State and USD are good teams and we raced against Tulsa at the OU Invite two weeks ago, so our team will definitely be challenged this weekend. Our goal is to make it into the championship races on Sunday."

In the five year history of the OU program, the Longhorn Invitational is the only spring event the Sooners have competed at every season. Last season, Oklahoma racked up four varsity eight wins, three second varsity eight wins, two second varsity four wins and a varsity four win in Austin. In 2011, the Sooners claimed 12 wins overall, five in the varsity eight events, four in the varsity fours, and three in the novice eights.

Results and behind-the-scenes updates and photos from Austin will be available on Twitter at @SoonerRowing, and Instagram at Instagram.com/OU_Rowing.

LAST TIME OUT: OU INVITATIONAL
• The Sooners hosted the fourth-annual OU Invitational on March 9-10 in Oklahoma City. OU won 14 of its 21 races and battled rain, wind and cold throughout the two-day event. Oklahoma capped off the weekend with a six-race sweep of Big 12 rival Kansas.
• OU's varsity eight, second varsity eight and both novice eights went 2-1, with wins over Kansas and Tulsa. The novice four went 1-2 in three races against UCO and Kansas State.
• Both of Oklahoma's varsity fours went a perfect 3-0 against Kansas, Minnesota and Tulsa. The Sooners' first varsity four was rewarded when it was named the Conference USA Boat of the Week on March 19.
• For a complete recap from the OU Invitational, including photos, notes and full results, visit the OU Invitational Headquarters page.

THE SPRING AHEAD
• OU travels to California for the Pac 12 Challenge on March 30-31. After nearly a month off, the Sooners return to the water for the Clemson Invitational on April 20-21 in Clemson, S.C. The race marks the final race of the regular season.
• The Big 12 Championships await the Sooners on May 4 in Kansas City, Kan. After hosting the event last season, OU travels to Lake Wyndotte looking for their first conference championship.
• Also a member of Conference USA, OU will race at the Conference USA Championships on May 18 in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The Sooners will look to build off a third-place finish at last year's event.
• The season concludes on May 31-June 2 at the NCAA Championships in Indianapolis. The championships head to Eagle Creek Park for the second time in the 17-year history of the event.

2013 FALL IN REVIEW
• Oklahoma opened the fall season at the Head of the Oklahoma on Sept. 29 and 30, where they raced 17 boats and won six medals, had nine top-five finishes and 14 top-10 finishes in just five events. OU swept the top four spots in the open pair, won the collegiate four and came in third in the women's collegiate 8 on the four-kilometer course in Oklahoma City.
• OU raced to a 23rd-place finish at the world-famous Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston on Oct. 21 with a time of 17:50.431 in a field of 40 collegiate and international crews. The Sooners competed in the Women's Championship Eight event on the Charles River, which included the USRowing United States national team, the same crew that won a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics and several other international teams that raced at the London Olympics.
• Oklahoma's novice squad finished first at the Head of the Colorado on Oct. 27 on Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas. The Sooners raced four boats in two events and defeated Texas in the women's novice eight race with a first and fourth-place finish and finishing second and third in the second novice eight race.
• The Sooners closed out the fall season at the Head of the Hooch on Nov. 3 and 4. The Sooners competed in four events, and nine of OU's ten boats finished in the top 13 against as many as 48 crews in each race. Oklahoma finished second in the championship eight, third in the open pair and fourth in the championship four.

CELEBRATING FIVE SEASONS OF OU ROWING
• The 2012-13 season marks the fifth year rowing has been a Division I sport at Oklahoma. Established in 2008-09, the Sooners have been led by head coach Leeanne Crain since Day One.
• OU's home is the Exchange Boathouse on the Oklahoma River, part of Oklahoma City's Boathouse District. With three boathouses and a new four-story finish line tower, the Boathouse District is one of the world's premiere sites for rowing. The Sooners share their home course on the scenic Oklahoma River with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Training Center.
• The Sooners compete in both the Big 12 Conference and Conference USA. Big 12 rivals Kansas, Kansas State, Texas and West Virginia also sponsor rowing. Since six teams are needed in a conference to earn an automatic bid in the NCAA Championships, OU will also race for a Conference USA championship against eight other schools, including Kansas, Kansas State, SMU, Tennessee, Texas, Tulsa, UCF and West Virginia.

OU's Expected Lineups

Varsity Eight A C: Carly Schueler 8: Rebecca Staff 7: Emmie Preskitt 6: Kristin Clift 5: Ivy Brown 4: Laura Combs 3: Nikki Furmanek 2: Kellie O'Reilly 1: Meghan Farrell	Varsity Eight B C: Jessica Hogan 8: Becca Winchester 7: Olivia Staff 6: Taylor Gillespie 5: Marilyn Kozlowski 4: Jenny O'Grady 3: Kelsey O'Grady 2: Heather Morris 1: Ashley LaFollette
Varsity Four A C: Ashley Carpenter 4: Cassie Preskitt 3: Rachel Cantrell 2: Kim Moldenhauer 1: Melissa Simpson	Varsity Four B C: Ashley Middaugh 4: Abbie Seremek 3: Brooke Holleman 2: Megan Quinn 1: Heather House
Novice Eight A C: Tori Todt 8: Hunter Schwantz 7: Reagan Collins 6: Jenny Franklin 5: Allison Kwiecinksi 4: Meredith Thornton 3: Daisy Beals 2: Marissa Beene 1: Samantha Legler	Novice Eight B C: Haleigh McAnally 8: Savannah Tallbear 7: McKenzie Middle 6: Amanda Graves 5: Sheridan LeBrecque 4: Megan Szukala 3: Callie Kinsey 2: Laine Abernathy 1: Liliana Campon