Rowing Begins Fall Slate in OKC

NORMAN – The University of Oklahoma rowing team opens its fall slate this Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 3-4) at the Head of the Oklahoma in the Oklahoma City Boathouse District. The Sooners will race 23 boats in five events on their home course.

The regatta is part of the four-day Oklahoma Regatta Festival and includes music and entertainment to complement the racing. The Sooners will not only race against other Division I programs but also against university club teams.

"We officially started practicing just last week so we haven't had a lot of water time but the team is pumped about competing this weekend," head coach Leeanne Crain said. "I'm excited about the enthusiasm they are bringing to practice every day. The work ethic is strong, the morale is high, and it feels like there's a special chemistry already developing with this group. We are pushing them really hard in practice and they keep coming back and asking for more. As a coach, that's a pretty cool thing!"

Saturday's racing schedule includes the women's collegiate eight at 12:30 p.m. and the collegiate four at 4:20 p.m. The day concludes with the OG&E Night Sprints racing on a 500-meter course with the eights competing at 7:55 p.m. and the fours at 9:50 p.m. The Sooners will enter three boats in the collegiate eight, four in the collegiate four, two in the Night Sprints eight and two in the Night Sprints four.

"We always enjoy kicking off our fall season at the Head of the Oklahoma," Crain said. "The night sprints are unique to this regatta and provide a great fan experience because of the proximity of the boats to the spectator area."

OU will return to the course on Sunday when 12 Sooner boats will test themselves in the open pairs race scheduled for 8:40 a.m.

The Head of the Oklahoma includes 2.5-mile head racing during the day and 500m OGE Night Sprints Saturday evening. The 10th annual Oklahoma Regatta Festival goes from Oct. 1-4 and events include collegiate, masters and junior rowing as well as kayak and dragon boat racing.

Oklahoma's fall season, a precursor to the championship spring season, is dominated by head races. Typically held in the fall for collegiate crews, head racing is a time-trial race where rowers race against the clock. The boat with the fastest time in its class is the winner.

The Head of the Oklahoma marks the Sooners' first and only home competition this season. Live results throughout the weekend can be found at HereNow.com.

8s LINEUP
A Boat
C: D'Allesandro
S: Hampton
7: Patten
6: Neihart
5: Heffernan
4: A Lange
3: Ognovich
2: Collins
B: M Lange

B Boat
C: Hays
S: Beene
7: Sloan
6: Anderson
5: Baker
4: Busse
3: Spencer
2: Bishop
B: Rauner

C Boat
C: Stough-Peters
S: Wallace
7: Grimes
6: Griffith
5: Kloppenburg
4: Gillespie
3: Franklin
2: Tracy
B: Beals

4s LINEUPS
A Boat
C: D'Allesandro
S: Hampton
3: Heffernan
2: Neihart
B: M Lange

B Boat
C: Hays
S: Patten
3: A Lange
2: Ognovich
B: Collins

C Boat
C: Arnold
S: Wallace
3: Anderson
2: Sloan
B: Beene

D Boat
C: Coffman
S: Hoelzl
3: Busse
2: Spencer
B: Benge

PAIRS LINEUPS
A Boat- Hampton/ Ognovich
B Boat- A Lange/ M Lange
C Boat- Patten/ Neihart
D Boat- Collins/ Heffernan
E Boat- Sloan/Anderson
F Boat- Spencer/ Beene
G Boat- Wallace/ Busse
H Boat- Griffith/ Grimes
I Boat- Baker/ Gillespie
J Boat- Rauner/ Bishop
K Boat- Kloppenburg/ Beals
L Boat- Benge/ Tracy

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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