Revitalized in 2018, the current team members are proud to add the newest chapter in the fifth decade of rowing history at Oklahoma State. The team of both men and women train throughout the year in preparation for regattas and championships across the country.
Five Decades of Cowboys
Early 90's - Coach: Mike Knopp (Left)
Fall 2019 - Coach: Andrew Lennard (Left)
Fall 2021 - Coach: Andrew Lennard (Left), Assistant Coach: Davis Bunn (Right)
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OKState Rowing began in 1974 as a small, committed group of students interested in trying something new. As the first rowing team in Oklahoma, these pioneers started from scratch and traveled across the country to find competition. The program ran strong throughout the late seventies and into the eighties.
After a lull of inactivity in the mid eighties, the team was reborn in the early nineties as a scrappy group of athletes who began without the equipment, financial support or professional coaching enjoyed by many of their competitors. From these humble beginnings, the team grew to a group of over 50 male and female student-athletes competing in regattas across the country including Oklahoma's first regatta as well as national championships! The team continued on competing throughout the early 2000s until ceasing activity towards the end of the decade. In 2018, OKState Rowing once again started from scratch, going from no boats and no equipment, to taking 4th at the ACRA National Championship with a Women's Four in just the first year back on the water! In just 18 months, the team had gone from inactive to a thriving group of 59 dedicated and committed athletes prior to the second spring season being cut short due to COVID-19. During the fall of 2020, the team used the time of social distancing to train in singles and develop technical skills in small boats. Due to the cancellation of regattas nationwide, the team turned their focus to the construction of a boat shelter to protect the fleet and other equipment. After three semesters of social distancing, the team's membership had dropped drastically. At the beginning of the fall 2021 semester, returning athletes spent several hours a week recruiting new members. Now, the current team is back training in eights and competing at regattas nationwide. |