Q&A: OU Rowing Walk-Ons

NORMAN —The OU women's rowing team is looking for OU female students who are interested in becoming a Division I athlete. Many Sooner rowers had no previous rowing experience before coming to college and walked on to the team.

SoonerSports.com caught up with three successful OU walk-on rowers to find out why they love rowing.

Maegan Neihart

Why did you decide to try out for the team?
“I decided to try out because it just sounded like a good opportunity. I didn't have a community coming in as a freshman so it seemed like a really good opportunity to stay competitive in sports and have a team to be a part of.”

What is your favorite part about rowing?
“My favorite thing about rowing is probably the team. I think it's good just to have the support and it's a great way to stay active.”

Were you an athlete in high school, and did that make rowing more appealing?
“It did. I was a gymnast most of my life and then I swam my senior year of high school so being able to stay competitive in sports was great. I also grew up in Oklahoma so being able to represent OU has been awesome.”

What opportunities has rowing given you?
“Rowing has given me so many opportunities. The staff is all really awesome. We get a lot of academic support. I ended up getting on scholarship so that has really helped me out a lot. Just getting to know everyone on campus, it just opens up so many doors for you as a student and as an athlete.”

What advice would you give someone who is on the fence about trying out?
“Come try out. See if you like it. The new girls may get to go into our new facility and see the tanks and everything. You won't regret it. If it ends up not being your thing that's okay, but I think that everyone should at least give it a shot.”

Stephanie Busse

Why did you originally decide to try out for the team?
“I started swimming when I was 6-years-old. Once I got to high school I wanted to play volleyball in college, but I'm only 5-9 so that wasn't an option here unless I had some mad hops. I had a family member who was a walk-on rower at Kansas State, and she really encouraged me to look into the sport. Oklahoma was my top choice so that's where I landed.”

What has been your favorite part about rowing?
“I love my teammates. We spend all day together because we see each other at practice twice a day and I still don't get sick of them. They're so much fun and so encouraging. I also just really like how hard rowing is. It's insane and it's harder than any sport I've done before. It's cool to just see what I'm capable of and to have as much success as we've had has been great.”

What opportunities has rowing given you?
“The academic center is awesome. Having the opportunity to have such great advisors and faculty and people I can go to if I have a question about school, having that all together in the academic center is great. Just being able to meet other student athletes and have community with them and with other students is really cool.”

Did finding a family in rowing help your transition to college?
“Definitely. There are 60 of us who are all going through the same things. None of us knew how to row when we first got here so we were all learning together. Even if you didn't know people you still knew their faces and you will see them on campus and have someone to talk to. I loved that.”

What advice would you give someone who is on the fence about trying out?
“I would definitely say to just do it. We accept a lot of people, and it's a great opportunity. Even if you only do it for one year it's still great and it will definitely keep you in shape for sure. It's a great way to meet people. Don't be afraid to try it because you definitely don't know if it's going to be something you end up loving.

Reagan Collins

Why did you decide to try out for rowing?
"I wanted something different to do. I danced and played tennis in high school, and I decided I wanted to look into something different for college. I ran into rowing and tried out, and I've loved it ever since.”

What is your favorite part about being on the team?
“One of my favorite parts is just the girls in general. No matter what workouts we have, we're always there for each other and we're always there to go through the same pain. It can be a really great team dynamic.”

Have you had opportunities you wouldn't have had without rowing?
“It's given me great leadership for sure. I was given the opportunity to be a captain last season, and it gave me some great connections. I learned how a team really works and working together with people. In a boat it's not a one-man thing. It's all eight people or all four people working together, so it's a lot of teamwork for sure.”

What is the most rewarding part of being on the team?
"Definitely all the friends I've made. We're together all the time, so you make some really great connections for sure. This is also the most physically fit I've been my entire life. That's really exciting.”

What advice would you give someone who is hesitant to try out?
“You have nothing to lose. A lot of people from a lot of different sports in high school come to rowing and try it out. It's a great team sport. Come try it, and if you don't like it that's fine, but a lot of people stay with it.”

Maegan Neihart

Stephanie Busse

Reagan Collins

Players Mentioned

Stephanie Busse

Stephanie Busse

Reagan Collins

Reagan Collins

Maegan Neihart

Maegan Neihart

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics