OCU Summer Update

Congratulations and good luck to our incoming athletes who are competing this weekend at USRowing Youth National Championships, including athletes from Oklahoma City Rowing/Chesapeake Junior Crew Clay Puckett, Blake Marley and Patrick Hylton all from the Oklahoma City region, as well as OPRF Rower Mike Pitts from Oak Park, IL. Read about Mike's journey to qualify for this event.

OCU Rower Drew McNichols began U23 camp yesterday at the OKC High Performance Training Center on the Oklahoma River.

Overseas in his home country of Latvia, OCU Rower Edgars Boitmanis raced in a 1x at the Latvian U23 trials and won all heats, coming in 4th in the final. He earned a seat in the 4x and will be racing at U23 world champs if Latvia sends this boat to the event. We'll keep you posted!

Stars medal in All Events Entered at Inaugural USRowing Collegiate Championships

In the first ever USRowing Collegiate National Championship, the Stars medaled in each event they entered on Lake Mercer, in New Jersey.

In the tightest race of the day, Edgars Boitmanis (7:43.79) won the Men's 1x by .26 seconds beating Potomac Boat Club's Brendan Mcewan (7:44.05). John Riesenberg qualified for the Grand Final placing 5th with a time of 8:21. Kat Schiro placed third in the Women's 1x with a time of 9:21. Carla Horne from the university of Tulsa and Emily Boucher from the University of Massachusetts took the top two spots in 9:14 and 9:17 respectively.

In 2x's racing, Jared Hooley and Drew McNichols easily clinched the top spot in the Men's 2x in a time of 7:45 while the University of Tennessee (8:12) and William and Mary (8:47) came in second and third. In a deep field, the Women's Lightweight 2x of Sarah Meyer and Jane Imfeld easily won the silver medal with a time of 8:50. The University of Massachusetts' A (8:39) and B (9:08) crews came in first and third.

With only a few minutes to spare between races, Imfeld and Meyer joined teammates Schiro and Brittni Slattery to compete in the Women's 4x placing third with a time of 8:02. The University of Tulsa won the event (7:53) while Duke University came in second (7:58). Boitmanis, Hooley, McNichols and Riesenberg raced the Men's 4x in a time of 6:57.

Coach Linas Smailys, " It was an exciting regatta, and an important part of history to be a part of the first USRowing Collegiate Championship. Edgars' sprint to win the Men's 1x was exciting. All the crews preformed well, and if Sarah and Jane did not have to race the 4x so soon after their 2x race, I believe they would have beaten Duke."

A special thanks to Joe Hill for the pictures and to Kat's and Jane's parents for being our most enthusiastic on-site supporters and fans.

Tullos invited to USRowing Men's Pre-Elite National Team Camp

OCU's Hugh Tullos will join 13 other rowers from across the country at the USRowing Men's Pre-Elite National Team Camp in OKC June 9 - July 18. Athletes from this camp will be selected to compete at the USRowing Club National Championships and train alongside the current residents at the Oklahoma City National High Performance Center.Learn more about the High Performance Center.

OCU's Final 2009-2010 Regattas underway

OCU is competing this weekend at ACRA and the USRowing Collegiate Regatta. Check out the article for today's Oklahoman on the OCU women's 4+.

Check results for ACRA. Check results for the USRowing collegiate regatta.

OCU’s McNichols Invited to Under 23 National Team Rowing Camp

For Drew McNichols, an invitation to the USRowing Under 23 Camp is an opportunity of a lifetime.

“As a freshman I remember my coach, Tempe Knopp, telling us the development standard for 2k and 6k times for the U23 team,” said McNichols. “Back then I never imagined I’d be competing for a spot on the U23 team to go to worlds.”

McNichols literally stumbled across rowing when he was in high school. The Fall Creek, Oregon native was on a cross-country training run past Dexter Lake when he happened to see kids on the dock, getting ready for rowing practice.

“I walked down for a closer look and the coach had me get in his launch,” he recalls. “The next day I was in a boat.”

The sport proved a natural fit for McNichols, whose competitive spirit drives him both on and off the water. McNichols just finished his junior year at OCU, earning several accolades, including an award for Outstanding Economics Major from the Meinder’s School of Business and a nomination for the Jim Wade Award, which honors student athletes who best represent the Stars, both for the 2009-2010 academic year.

“Through this camp I hope to be exposed to a higher level of competition so I can bring that back to my OCU teammates, making us all more competitive next fall,” McNichols said.

With his senior year at OCU approaching, McNichols is considering the next step in his rowing career.

“Now that there is a USRowing High Performance Training Center on the Oklahoma River, I can apply to train right here in OKC. There are many steps I need to take to be a candidate for this program, and making the U23 team would definitely help.”

McNichols’ recent success at USRowing’s National Team Selection/Speed Order Regatta, where he and partner Edgar Boitmanis placed second in the Men’s Double event, is one of those steps.

“I’ve come a long way since my freshman year at OCU, when I flipped 9 times over two semesters. Growing up working with my brothers as ranch hands on my father’s ranch instilled a work ethic in me that I have to credit for all my success. It’s what brought me to my new goal: to make the U23 team and compete at worlds.”

Meyer featured in the Oklahoman

Congratulations to OCU Rower Sarah Meyer, who graduated from OCU Nursing School (with a 3.9!) this weekend and was also featured in Sunday's edition of The Oklahoman.

More Academic Honors for the Stars

The Petree College of Arts & Sciences held its Honors and Awards Convocation on Friday May 7. OCU stars continued to shine, with women's rowing team member Briana Hurley and men's rowing team member Brice Heinen both being elected to the Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.

Brice was also recognized as graduating Magna Cum Laude for having a GPA between 3.75-3.89. And, he was honored with the Outstanding Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Exercise Studies award.

Congratulations on your achievements!