2010 OU Rowing Guide

WELCOME FROM HEAD COACH LEEANNE CRAIN Dear prospective student-athlete, As the first head coach of the rowing program at the University of Oklahoma, it is my great privilege to invite you to look at the opportunities that await you at OU! You are being recruited as a prospective student-athlete, and it is important that you find a university and athletics program that meets and exceeds your desires.

OU is one of the most successful Division I athletic programs in the nation. Sooner teams have captured 26 national championships and more than 225 Conference championships in 16 different sports. The University of Oklahoma is also regarded as one of the finest institutions in the country. With our rich tradition of athletic and academic excellence, your experience as a student-athlete is sure to be exceptional.

Participation in intercollegiate athletics provides you with the discipline and skills required for success in the classroom and in the workplace beyond college. Should you get injured at any time throughout your career, you will be treated by a team of the best physicians and athletic trainers anywhere. Student-athletes at OU are provided with numerous resources including academic advising, tutoring, career guidance, sports psychology and nutritional counseling. OU’s commitment to its studentathletes’ pursuit of excellence is demonstrated by the high quality of support present on a daily basis.

The mission of the University of Oklahoma Department of Athletics is to inspire champions today and prepare leaders for tomorrow by providing an excellent environment to enable student-athletes to achieve their highest academic, athletic and personal aspirations.

Our individual talents and collective efforts create our competitive advantage.

Our core values include respect, accountability for self and others, a passion for comprehensive excellence, a commitment to continuous improvement, a celebration of diversity and integrity in all of our affairs. Come be part of building a great rowing tradition at the University of Oklahoma!

2010 WOMEN’S ROWING MEDIA GUIDE This season’s media guide was designed and produced by the OU Athletics Department in Norman, Okla., using Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop.

The guide was printed by Transcript Press at no cost to the taxpayers of the state of Oklahoma. The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution.

(February 2010).

GUIDE DESIGN

PHOTOGRAPHY

Jennifer Van Tuyl

Photos were supplied by Ty Russell, Shivani Parmer, Jerry Laizure, Lisa Hall, Jason Matheson, Shevaun Williams & Associates, Alex McMahan, Chesapeake Boathouse and University of Oklahoma Athletics Communications files.

WRITTEN AND COMPILED BY Jennifer Van Tuyl

COVER DESIGN Scott Matthews

SPECIAL THANKS:

CONTRIBUTORS

Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation for information provided about the High Performance Training Center.

Kenny Mossman, Debbie Copp, Scott Matthews and Cassie Gage

Nike is the official sponsor of the Oklahoma rowing program.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

3 BOOMER SOONER University...................................................................................................... 4 Academics ..................................................................................................... 7 Athletics Excellence..................................................................................... 12 Tradition...................................................................................................... 16 Community Service ..................................................................................... 18 Media Spotlight .......................................................................................... 20 Strength and Conditioning.......................................................................... 22 Sports Medicine .......................................................................................... 23 Great Expectations ...................................................................................... 24 Big 12 Conference ....................................................................................... 26 Norman/Oklahoma City/Tulsa ..................................................................... 28 University President David L. Boren ............................................................ 30 Athletics Director Joe Castiglione ................................................................ 31 Facilities ...................................................................................................... 32 Athletics Administration ............................................................................. 35 OU Head Coaches ........................................................................................ 36

45 MEET THE TEAM Varsity ......................................................................................................... 46 Novice ......................................................................................................... 59

61 SEASON REVIEW Season Review ............................................................................................. 62 2009 Results ................................................................................................ 64 Awards and Letterwinners ........................................................................... 66

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COACHING STAFF

MEDIA INFORMATION

Head Coach Leeanne Crain ...........................................................................38 Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator Marina Traub..................................40 Assistant Coach Andy Derrick .......................................................................41 Graduate Assistant Megan Mitchell .............................................................42 Support Staff................................................................................................43

Quick Facts ..................................................................................................68 SoonerSports.com .......................................................................................69 2010 Roster .................................................................................................70 Schedule .....................................................................................................71 Rowing History ...........................................................................................72 Rowing Terminology ...................................................................................73 Viewer’s Guide ............................................................................................74 Sooner Oar Society ......................................................................................75 Pocock Racing Shells ...................................................................................76

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BOOMER SOONER

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A PACESETTER FOR PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES “The University of Oklahoma is truly a great university. It is becoming a pacesetter for public higher education in the United States. We must no longer keep the university’s excellence a secret! It’s time for us to let others know about the strengths of our university and our determination to make it even better.”

- University of Oklahoma President David L. Boren THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA OVERVIEW Created by the Oklahoma Territorial Legislature in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a doctoral degree-granting research university serving the educational, cultural, economicand health-care needs of the state, region and nation. The Norman campus serves as home to all of the university’s academic programs except health-related fields. The OU Health Sciences Center, which is located in Oklahoma City, is one of only four comprehensive academic health centers in the nation with seven professional colleges. Both the Norman and Health Sciences Center colleges offer programs at the Schusterman Center, the site of OU-Tulsa. OU enrolls more than 30,000 students, has more than 2,400 full-time faculty members, and has 20 colleges offering 158 majors at the baccalaureate level, 167 majors at the master’s level, 81 majors at the doctoral level, 26 majors at the doctoral professional level, and 24 graduate certificates. The university’s annual operating budget is $1.48 billion. The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution.

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WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT OU? • OU ranks number one in the nation among all public universities in the number of National Merit Scholars enrolled per capita with a record 196 National Merit Scholars in this year’s freshman class.

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The Princeton Review ranks OU in the top 10 in the nation in terms of academic excellence and cost for students.

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OU has over a $1.5 billion impact on the state’s economy each year.

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OU ranks first in the Big 12 and at the top in the nation in international exchange agreements with universities around the world. The University has 174 student exchange agreements with universities in 66 countries and plans to increase the number of students studying abroad by more than 50 percent over the next four years.

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OU has produced 27 Rhodes Scholars ranking it highly among public institutions nationwide in the total number of Rhodes Scholars.

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OU ranks among the top in the nation in recipients of the Goldwater Scholarship for math and science. In the past 15 years, 28 OU students have received the scholarships.

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OU is one of the few public universities in the nation to cap the class size of first-year English composition courses at no more than 19 students as well as all Honors Courses.

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An OU student is the only recipient from Oklahoma to be named a Truman Scholar this year. This prestigious national award is given based on a student’s leadership potential, intellectual ability and the likelihood of “making a difference.”

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OU student teams won five of the six top honors at the 2009 Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup Collegiate Business Plan Competition in Oklahoma City, a competition designed to encourage students of Oklahoma universities http://www.ou.edu/publicaffairs/oufacts. html and colleges to act upon their entrepreneurial ideas and develop skills to lead tomorrow’s innovative news businesses. OU ranks in the top 10 in the nation among most wired colleges, one of only a few universities to achieve the ranking two years in a row.

A PACESETTER FOR PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES

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OU’s entrepreneurship program in the Price College of Business ranks in the top 10 in the United States. OU’s Campaign for Scholarships has allowed the university to more than double new privately funded scholarships for students in just four years.

OU has increased from 100 to 543, the number of endowed faculty positions in the past 15 years, demonstrating a strong commitment to excellence.

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OU continues to set the pace in private fundraising records, with more than $1.7 billion in gifts and pledges since 1994, which has provided funding for dramatic capital improvements, the growth in faculty endowment and student scholarships.

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OU has the academically highest ranked student body at a public university in Oklahoma history. OU won the “PetroBowl” Championship in petroleum engineering for the second straight year.

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The Campaign for Scholarships is continuing, and in March 2008 surpassed its goal of raising $100 million for endowed scholarships. To date, almost $140 million in scholarship endowments have been donated or pledged.

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Since 1994, research and sponsored programs expenditures at OU have more than doubled, and OU

university. The museum also shares the Eugene B. Adkins Collection, one of the most important private collections in the nation of works by the Taos artists as well as Native American works of art, with the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa.

continues to set new records for funding for externally sponsored research. OU ended FY 2009 with total expenditures of more than $277 million.

The OU Health Sciences Center in FY 2009 continued its impressive rate of research growth by achieving more than $121 million in federal, state, corporate and nonprofit or foundation grants and contracts. Funding from the National Institutes of Health – considered to be the gold standard for research – was almost $50 million.

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Since 1995, almost $1.5 billion in construction projects have been completed, are under way or are forthcoming on OU’s three campuses, the largest of which is the $67 million National Weather Center.

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OU is home to one of the two largest natural history museums in the world associated with a university.

The Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History has more than 7 million artifacts and contains 195,000 square feet on 40 acres of land. The museum exhibits include the largest Apatosaurus on display in the world and the oldest work of art ever found in North America — a lightning bolt painted onan extinct bison skull.

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The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art’s collections total more than 10,000 works of art, including OU’s Weitzenhoffer Collection of French Impressionism, one of the most important gifts of art ever given to a U.S. public

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Additional collections have further strengthened the museum’s holdings in the areas of Native American and Southwest art.

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OU’s Western History Collection is one of the largest collections inthe world of documents and photographs, including a rare multivolume portfolio on the Indians of the United States and Alaska by Edward S.Curtis.

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Set to open in 2010, the OU Cancer Institute is on track to become Oklahoma’s first and only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center.

Achieving this designation, the gold standard for cancer research and care in the United States, means that Oklahomans will no longer need to travel 450 miles out of state for comprehensive, stateof-the-art cancer care.

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WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT OU? •

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The University of Oklahoma has established a comprehensive diabetes center with operations on the OU campuses in Oklahoma City and Tulsa to provide statewide leadership in diabetes treatment, research, prevention, information, education and awareness.

The Harold Hamm Oklahoma Diabetes Center provides access to the latest developments in diabetes care and management through the clinical trials hosted by the center.

A major beautification campaign has transformed the appearance of the OU Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. The project replaced a divided highway through campus with seven tiered gardens featuring traditional OU arches at each end. The pedestrian walkway’s landmarks include an OU Seed Sower sculpture at the west end, a clock tower at the east end, and a 70-foot granite fountain in the center.

For the outdoor improvements to the Norman campus — gardens, fountains, sculptures, benches — the University of Oklahoma has won first place in the education category for Beautification and Landscaping in the statewide environmental competition. Gifts of over $3 million have permanently endowed OU’s gardens.

OU has strong programs in international and area studies, with an International Programs Center led by Zach P. Messitte, a foreign policy expert with a doctorate in international politics whose experience includes working for the United Nations and CNN. With nearly 400 doctors, OU Physicians is the state’s largest physician group. Our practice encompasses almost every adult and child specialty. Many OU

Physicians have expertise in the management of complex conditions that is unavailable anywhere else in the state, region or sometimes even the nation. Some have pioneered surgical procedures or innovations in patient care that are world firsts.

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About 125 of OU Physicians’ doctors are OU Children’s Physicians. These board-certified pediatric specialists committed their training and, now, their practices to the care of children. Many children with birth defects, critical injuries or serious diseases who can’t be helped elsewhere come to OU Children’s Physicians. Oklahoma doctors and parents rely on OU Children’s Physicians depth of experience, nationally renowned expertise and sensitivity to children’s emotional needs.

The University of Oklahoma maintains one of the three most important collections of early manuscripts in the history of science in the United States. It includes Galileo’s own copy of his work, which first used the telescope to support the Copernican theory, with corrections in his own handwriting.

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The University of Oklahoma Libraries has added its 5 millionth volume, continuing a commanding lead as the state’s largest research library and claiming one of the top two spots in size among Big 12 libraries.

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OU’s Julian P. Kanter Political Commercial Archive houses the world’s largest collection of political commercials.

With more than 95,000 commercials, the archive includes political advertisements dating back to 1936 for radio and 1950 for television.

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The highly acclaimed journal of international literature, World Literature Today, is published at the University of Oklahoma.

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OU is home to the Neustadt International Prize for Literature, considered to be second in prestige only to the Nobel Prize and often referred to as the “American Nobel.” Twenty–seven Neustadt laureates, candidates and jurors have won the Nobel Prize in the past 39 years.

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The OU Cousins program matches U.S. and international students to share informal and social experiences.

Students may volunteer to live on international floors with half of the residents from the United States and half from other countries.

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Dance Magazine places the OU School of Dance in the top three of all dance programs in the country.

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OU’s 271-acre Research Campus is anchored by the Stephenson Researchand Technology Center, where cutting-edge research into life science fields ranging from robotics to genomic studies is taking place, and the National Weather Center, which houses OU’s academic and researchprograms in meteorology and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Normanbased weather, research and operations programs.

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OU’s largest super computer debuted as the fastest in the Big 12 and in Oklahoma history and among the top four among U.S. universities (excluding the big three National Science Foundation supercomputing centers).

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS AND COLLEGES

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS Multidisciplinary Studies COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE Architecture Construction Science Environmental Design Interior Design COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES African & African-American Studies Anthropology A&S Planned Program Astronomy Astrophysics Biochemistry Botany Chemistry Chinese Classics Communication Economics English Ethics and Religion Film and Video Studies French German Health & Exercise Science History Human Relations Information Studies International & Area Studies Letters Linguistics Mathematics

Microbiology Native American Studies Philosophy Physics Political Science Psychology Public Affairs & Administration Religious Studies Russian Social Work Sociology Sociology - Criminology Spanish Women’s Studies Zoology COLLEGE OF ATMOSPHERIC AND GEOGRAPHIC SCIENCES Geography Meteorology MICHAEL F. PRICE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS Accounting Economics Energy Management Entrepreneurship & Venture Management Finance Human Resources Management International Business Management Management Information Systems Marketing Supply Chain Management

COLLEGE OF CONTINUING EDUCATION Aviation Professional Studies

Industrial Engineering Information Technology Mechanical Engineering

MEWBOURNE COLLEGE OF EARTH AND ENERGY Environmental Geology Geology Geophysics Paleontology Petroleum Engineering Petroleum Geology

WEITZENHOFFER FAMILY COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS Art Art History Dance Drama Media - Filmaking, Photography, Video Music Music Education Musical Theatre Performance Studio Arts Theatre Visual Communications

JEANNINE RAIBOLT COLLEGE OF EDUCATION Early Childhood Education Elementary Education Foreign Language Education Language Arts Education Mathematics Education Science Education Social Studies Education Special Education COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING Aerospace Engineering Architectural Engineering Chemical Engineering Civil Engineering Computer Engineering Computer Science Electrical Engineering Engineering Physics Environmental Engineering Environmental Science

GAYLORD COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM AND COMMUNICATION Advertising Broadcasting & Electronic Media Journalism Professional Writing Public Relations COLLEGE OF LIBERAL STUDIES Liberal Studies

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THE PATH TO GRADUATION PRENTICE GAUTT ACADEMIC CENTER In the 1950s, he came to OU to play football, and, in the process, broke down barriers and crushed stereotypes. Today, OU student-athletes use the Prentice Gautt Academic Center to break another kind of stereotype. The center that today’s student-athletes use everyday now bears the name of the man who left an indelible legacy for Sooner Athletics and helped change a society in the process.

The formal dedication of the Prentice Gautt Academic Center was held Friday, Sept. 17, 1999. The proposal to re-name the center was approved by the OU Board of Regents in March 1999.

“It is appropriate that this center be named after Prentice Gautt,” OU President David L. Boren said. “His personal values and character, along with his leadership as associate commissioner of the Big 12 Conference, continue to bring pride to his alma mater. His personal example of quiet courage, grace under pressure, and dedication to the university helped open the doors of opportunity for countless number of African-American and minority student-athletes who have followed him into collegiate athletics.”

The professional consultants of the Prentice Gautt Academic Center help student-athletes with a variety of academic tasks, from learning strategy instruction to any stage of the writing process including preparing for an essay exam and the formal research paper.

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The goal is to help student-athletes develop the strategies they need to be successful by encouraging the use of the center for all facets of the learning and writing processes encountered in college.

The Prentice Gautt Academic Center provides studentathletes with a state-of-the-art academic support facility.

The environment encourages a collaboration between staff members and student-athletes. In addition, it is highly conducive to learning in all areas of students’ academic endeavors and features seven learning centers.

Located on the second and third floors in the north end of the Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, the Academic Center houses Academic Counseling offices, and Learning and Skill Development centers including the Kerr Foundation Computer Center, the Thompson Writing Center and centers for communication, reading, study skills, math and foreign language as well as learning enhancement and study areas.

LEARNING CENTERS: KERR CAREER CENTER Whether student-athletes are freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors or graduates, they will benefit from the services of the Kerr Career Center. It provides a system of services that educates and guides students through the career development process.

The Career Center is dedicated to helping students make the transition from college to career by developing an individualized career plan where they gather information to

assist in making a decision about a career; obtain information on the suitable career list; explore classes and publications in the field as well as obtain experience; and gain knowledge and skills necessary for résumé writing, job-related letter writing and interviewing techniques.

The Career Center is a link with the campus Careers Services Office and offers student-athletes a wide array of effective job hunting skills, training and career services.

KERR FOUNDATION COMPUTER CENTER In the 21st century, computers have become an integral part of the learning experience. Students need access to computers and their resources almost daily. The Kerr Foundation Computer Centers are here to meet these technological needs.

We provide each student with the equipment and support necessary to succeed.

The computer center is housed within the Prentice Gautt Academic Center and houses nearly 200 computers available exclusively to our student-athletes.

Students also enjoy a large amount of storage space on our athletic network. Laptop computers are checked out to students when the computer center is unavailable. This allows access to our network and resources 24 hours a day. The laptop program is very important in helping athletes stay on top of their schoolwork when traveling.

THE PATH TO GRADUATION

Group training is provided for all new student-athletes during the first week of supervised study. This helps familiarize each student with our resources and procedures.

Individual training sessions are available to each student and lab technicians are always on hand to help.

The Kerr Foundation Computer Center has been a model for other universities around the country. We plan on being a leader in the future as well. Upgrades are scheduled annually and there is a deep commitment from the Athletics Department ensures that the excellence in the computer center will continue for a long time.

COMMUNICATIONS CENTER This academic center focuses on developing communication and public speaking skills for student-athletes. The stateof-the-art center, coordinated by a broadcast professional, builds strong media relations skills through the use of video equipment.

KERR FOUNDATION FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER To assist you in speaking, listening, reading and writing in other languages, the Kerr Foundation Foreign Language Center offers a multimedia environment that provides instruction in all foreign languages and in English as a second language. On an individual basis, students have the option of working with computers, audio-visual equipment and tutors in order to enhance their language experience.

MATH CENTER If performing math functions is a problem, the solution is the Math Center. As a supplement to class instruction, the Math Center provides all levels of math computations,

concepts and problems to help students review course material. In addition, it offers personal and group tutoring sessions to assist with math assignments.

READING/STUDY SKILLS CENTER If students have trouble with assigned textbook readings or studying, the Reading and Study Skills Center can help.

It provides reading and studying techniques and its staff teach how to make direct applications to current resources.

Consultation, computer-assisted instruction, tutoring and independent activities are available.

THOMPSON WRITING CENTER Because learning and writing are essential life long skills which can always be strengthened, the Writing Center offers personalized instruction to student-athletes who seek assistance in refreshing, reviewing, or improving these skills. The Thompson Writing Center offers a dynamic, positive atmosphere to help student-athletes generate ideas and strategies for writing assignments. Consultants help student-athletes organize papers, review grammatical basics, develop proofreading and library research skills, and design résumés.

With this information, we can determine if student-athletes have the skills necessary to succeed in standard entry-level courses. Some results from this initial assessment may require additional testing, enrollment in developmental courses and academic services, or programs recommended based on individual needs. The ultimate purpose of our assessment is to ensure that student-athletes have the appropriate academic support services to achieve academic success.

STEP TWO: Skill Development Tutorial Program - A comprehensive tutoring program of approximately 150 tutors provides one-to-one and small-group instruction. Student-athletes are assisted with study skills, problem-solving techniques and specific course material. Athletic Student Life Office counselors may recommend tutors or a student-athlete may request one independently.

Study Skills - The Study Skills Center provides studentathletes with assistance in college reading strategies and individual instruction for reading improvement. A learning specialist regularly conducts time management

THE PATH TO GRADUATION Steps For Building “Champions For Life” STEP ONE: Assessment New Student-Athlete Assessment -The academic assessment process begins with an entry-level assessment of all incoming student-athletes. This assessment is designed to help student-athletes know their strengths and weaknesses in content areas such as reading, writing, and mathematics.

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THE PATH TO GRADUATION and study skills workshops. The staff ’s goal is to help studentathletes become independent writers and learners in the academic environment.

Center offers regular instruction for student-athletes placed in preparatory mathematics courses and tutorial consultation in all math and statistics courses.

Computer Skills - The Kerr Foundation Athletic Computer Center, also located in the Prentice Gautt Academic Center, provides student-athletes with computer knowledge and access. The Computer Center is open six days a week with extended hours offered during peak times. Made possible from a $250,000 Kerr Foundation matching grant, the Athletic Computer Center is equipped with more than 200 stateof-the-art computers, including Macintosh and Windowscompatible computers with color monitors, CD-ROM drives and modems. High-speed high-resolution laser printers, digital camera, video equipment and a scanner are also available for student-athlete use. Software in use includes all popular word processing programs, spreadsheet programs, presentation programs, databases and desktop publishing/ graphic design programs. In addition, computer training courses are provided each semester and portable computers are available to student-athletes who need computer access after 11 p.m. Approximately 100 portables are also available to teams when traveling.

Career Preparation - At OU, non-athletic career preparation is enhanced through workshops in résumé development, job search strategies, interviewing skills and graduate school preparation assistance through the Kerr Career Center. The Sooner Career Program is dedicated to educating studentathletes about the world of work and providing a transition from college athletics to their first careers. The program includes the OU Career Fair, career information seminars, opportunities for summer internships in various fields, an employment referral service and mentorship opportunities for graduating student-athletes. The Career Center, an exciting learning center, allows student-athletes the opportunity to explore potential careers and majors through a variety of resources. Additionally, student-athletes are able to take personality and career inventories via computer. The Sooner Career Program is jointly sponsored by the OU Athletics Department, the Sooner Club and the Varsity O Association.

Foreign Language - The Kerr Foundation Foreign Language Center was established to assist student-athletes with speaking, listening, reading and writing in different languages. The Center, coordinated by a Modern Languages department instructor, offers a top-notch multimedia environment for all foreign language instruction.

Math Skills - Realizing the increasing role mathematics plays in society today, the Prentice Gautt Academic Center aims to help all student-athletes achieve an understanding of math and related topics in their course work. The Mathematics

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Communication Skills - Communicating well is an essential skill in successful personal and professional interaction for OU student-athletes. The OU Communications Center offers training for effective oral communication and media relations.

A working media conference room featuring a stage and a modern audio-visual systems is available in a state-of-the-art communications center.

ACADEMICS SUPERVISED STUDY Supervised study is a monitored study program designed to provide student-athletes with organized study and tutoring time in a flexible environment conducive to successful

learning. Supervised study is required for all first-semester freshmen, transfer student-athletes, student-athletes with a cumulative GPA below 2.50, and any student-athlete who the coaching staff and the Student Life academic staff believe would benefit from the experience. Supervised study is flexible for all student-athletes. All freshman and transfer student-athletes are required to put in 10 hours a week in their first semester at the University. Any study area or learning center is available for use during these times.

ACADEMIC ASSISTANCE AND TUTORING Tutors are available to assist student-athletes in all subject areas. Individual or small group sessions can be arranged with content experts either allocated by academic services or personally requested by the student-athlete. Academic services also provides revision groups, study sessions and weekly instruction on an individual or group basis in order to ensure student-athlete success.

LEARNING ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM Learning specialists are assigned by academic services to designated student-athletes to assist them with study skills, problem solving techniques, and time management. The primary goal of the learning program is to create an environment conducive to student-athlete success in the university academic setting. The staff of the Athletic Student Life office promote this environment of academic success through several methods. Arriving at a college campus can be very intimidating for both freshmen and transfer students. Our program provides a learning specialists to help familiarize the student-athlete with the academic and social culture at OU, thus helping to ease the transition to the University setting for student-athletes.

THE PATH TO GRADUATION OKLAHOMA REMEMBERS GAUTT Prentice Gautt ushered in a new era for Oklahoma football when he landed a spot on the 1956 team. Former Sooner head coach Bud Wilkinson was pressured against giving Gautt a scholarship.

A group of black doctors and pharmacists gave money for Gautt to attend the school. Within a year, Gautt was given a scholarship and the donated amounts were given to another black student.

Gautt, considered Oklahoma’s best player in 1958, was a two-time All-Big Eight player and 1959 Orange Bowl MVP. During his senior year, Gautt was named to the academic All-America team and eventually earned master’s and doctorate degrees in psychology.

The academic center for student-athletes at the University of Oklahoma was named in Gautt’s honor in 1999. A special assistant to the commissioner of the Big 12 Conference, Gautt passed away on March 17, 2005.

STEP THREE: Counseling Personal Career Counseling - Student-athletes receive caring, professional support from Dr. Gerald Gurney and his staff at all levels. This support may take several forms, including career choice, academic or personal decisions.

Academic Counseling and Advisement - Six professional athletic academic counselors are present to help student-athletes through the educational process. Approximately one counselor per 100 student-athletes is available to assist the studentathletes with planning class schedules, choosing degree programs and setting personal and academic goals.

STEP FOUR: Faculty Relations Faculty Guest Program - The faculty guest program’s purpose is to enhance the athletic department’s relationship with the faculty and staff. Faculty members are selected to be guest coaches for the week in all sports throughout the academic year. During that time, the faculty guests are provided with a list of planned activities that are designed to give them an opportunity to experience various aspects of the athletic department’s operations and introduce them to studentathlete lifestyles and expectations.

STEP FIVE: Resident Life Sooner Housing Center - Student-athletes reside in a variety of University housing environments, including the Sooner Housing Center. The Sooner Housing Center, managed by Athletic Student Life staff, is located across the street from the Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. It provides a living environment that is conducive to the academic and personal development of student-athletes. The Sooner Housing Center was the winner of the 1998, 2003, 2005 and 2009 President’s Trophy for the outstanding housing center on the OU campus and was recognized for its contribution to academic excellence, innovative programming and campus diversity. The Sooner Housing Center was also selected as the President’s Trophy runner-up in 1997, 2000 and 2006.

An awards banquet is held in the spring to recognize special award winners and scholar athletes who have achieved a 3.00 GPA or higher. Graduating student-athletes receive recognition prior to OU’s graduation ceremonies in May during a reception. Each is given an “O” ring, representing their athletic participation and graduation from The University of Oklahoma.

All scholarship student-athletes who exhaust their eligibility within eight semesters may receive an additional year of financial aid within a six-year period.

Student-Athlete Advisory Committee - Student-athlete leaders from each sport comprise the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which aims to improve communication with the athletic and University administration regarding studentathletes’ needs and concerns. The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee developed a community outreach partnership with the Oklahoma Youth Center, a local residential facility for physically, mentally and sexually abused children. SAAC also designs programs that encourage excellence in academics and social responsibility and serve to represent student-athletes on campus-wide committees.

THE UNIVERSIT V Y OF OKLAHOMAA SOONERS

Psychological Counseling and Sport Psychology (PROS) The Prentice Gautt Academic Center is staffed with a licensed Counseling Psychologist and several psychological counselors and interns to provide a wide array of counseling and performance enhancing services. Student-athletes may visit the staff to confidentially discuss anything impacting their academic, athletic or personal lives. OU’s national awardwinning program has become a model for other programs to follow.

Academic Monitoring - Course attendance and course performance are checked a minimum of four times per semester for each student-athlete participating in the intercollegiate athletic program.

Personal Health and Nutritional Counseling - The personal health and nutritional needs of student-athletes are monitored by the OU Sports Medicine staff of physicians and certified athletic trainers. The Wagner Dining Center makes every effort to accommodate the special dietary and nutritional requirements of OU student-athletes. The cafeteria serves all three meals with several healthy entrees to choose from.

The menu is designed to meet the nutritional needs of every individual student-athlete by allowing each athlete to choose from a variety of options to accommodate the unique demands of his/her schedule. In addition, a program to promote substance abuse awareness requires student-athletes to enroll in a campus personal health course focusing on substance abuse, human sexuality, nutrition and stress management.

STEP SIX: Life Skills, Academic Recognition, Graduation/Post Eligibility, Community Service and Student-Athlete Leadership Life Skills Program OU is a member of the NCAA’s Life Skills Program and is dedicated to contributing to the growth and development of student-athletes through academic excellence, athletic excellence, personal development, community service and career development. The OU Athletics Department offers and maintains a strong commitment through comprehensive programs to fully develop the student-athletes’ academic and personal potential, while enjoying the highest levels of athletic competition.

Academics Awards Program - The OU Athletic Student Life program places special emphasis upon recognition of outstanding academic performances by student-athletes.

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OU EXPERIENCES ANOTHER YEAR OF ALL-AROUND SUCCESS Baseball The 2009 Sooner baseball team advanced to the program’s fourth regional final in the last five years under head coach Sunny Golloway. OU received the nation’s No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament, a program first, and finished the campaign with a 43-20 mark, the second most wins since the Sooners won the 1994 National Championship. While OU’s 32nd appearance in the NCAA Tournament fell short, the Sooners had plenty to celebrate throughout the season as they finished second in the Big 12 standings (a half game behind Texas).

Men’s Basketball If Jeff Capel or anyone else had lingering questions regarding Blake Griffin’s abilities heading into 2008-09, the sophomore forward answered them emphatically by leading the Sooners to a 30-6 record – their fifth 30-win season in history– and to within an eyelash of the Final Four (they lost to eventual national champion North Carolina in the Elite Eight). OU’s 13-3 record in Big 12 Conference play tied as its best in the 13-year history of the league, and a 25-1 start to the season resulted in a three-week No. 2 national ranking in February – the program’s highest perch in 19 years. All Griffin did to help OU’s cause was author one of the most impressive single seasons in recent college hoops memory and win every national player of the year honor.

Women’s Basketball Women’s basketball had one of its most successful seasons in history, culminating at the program’s second Final Four appearance in St. Louis in April 2009. Led by senior Courtney Paris, the first ever four-time All-American designated by the Associated Press and U.S. Basketball Writers Association, the Sooners matched a program record with 32 wins, including a

record 20-game winning streak, and earned their sixth Big 12 regular-season title -- the third for OU in four seasons.

Cross Country The women’s cross country program was represented at the NCAA Championships for the fifth time in the last six years as sophomore Kelly Waters advanced to the title meet in Terre Haute, Ind. Waters finished 93rd at the meet, 16th among sophomores and ninth among Big 12 runners. Waters advanced to the meet after garnering All-Region honors with a 10th-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional. Waters also grabbed all-conference honors by finishing fifth at the Big 12 Championships. Classmate Jessica Engel finished 18th at the conference meet. The men’s season was highlighted by a second-place finish at the Arkansas/Missouri Southern dual.

Football Oklahoma won its sixth Big 12 Football Championship and became the first program to win the crown in three consecutive seasons, after becoming the first to win backto-back titles a year ago. The Sooners led the nation with 54 points per game and became the first program to score 60 or more points in five straight games en route to totaling 700plus on the year, an NCAA record in the modern era. Oklahoma made its 10th straight bowl appearance, its sixth in the BCS and fourth in the championship game. Quarterback Sam Bradford became OU’s fifth Heisman Trophy winner and joined offensive guard Duke Robinson as consensus All-Americans.

Oklahoma won 11 or more games for the eighth time in Bob Stoops’ 10 seasons.

Men’s Golf The OU men’s golf team recorded three top-five finishes during the season, including a win at the Macdonald Cup on Oct. 5 in New Haven, Conn. That title was OU’s first tournament victory since the 2006 Big 12 Championship. Oklahoma defeated 13 other squads and inclement weather in its eight-shot triumph for the tournament crown. It was the fourth tournament title for the Sooners in Jim Ragan’s final season at the helm. Ragan resigned in June and was replaced by Ryan Hybl, most recently an assistant coach for the Georgia Bulldogs.

Women’s Golf Paced by Kendall Dye’s solid senior campaign, the women’s golf team captured four top-five finishes in its 10 regular season tournaments. A successful October saw OU take fifth place at the 13-team Windy City Collegiate Championships and third place at the 17-team Price’s “Give ‘Em Five” Invitational with a season-low 903 (+39).

Men’s Gymnastics Head Coach Mark Williams and the Oklahoma men’s gymnastics team completed another championship year, finishing undefeated in the regular season and adding three national individual titles to its history. Steven Legendre proved ready to follow in Jonathan Horton’s footstep’s by capturing three individual national championships. The sophomore claimed the national all-around title and two individual titles on floor and vault to move past Bart Conner (three titles) in the OU record books. Legendre’s five national titles in his two-year career left him one behind Horton’s total.

Blake Griffin

J.T. Wise

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OU EXPERIENCES ANOTHER YEAR OF ALL-AROUND SUCCESS Sam Bradford

Women’s Gymnastics Another year and it was another crown for the University of Oklahoma women’s gymnastics squad. The Sooners won their second straight Big 12 title in 2009, marking the program’s eighth overall conference championship. Head coach K.J. Kindler has guided the Sooners to Big 12 titles in two of her first three seasons. Oklahoma advanced to its sixth consecutive NCAA Championship, joining Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU and Utah as the only schools to advance to the event each year since 2004. Individually, Haley DeProspero (beam), Megan Ferguson (bars and beam) and Ashley Jackson (bars) became OU’s latest conference event champions as Oklahoma clinched event titles on beam and floor at the Big 12 Championship.

Soccer Sophomore Whitney Palmer became one of three Sooners in school history to collect Big 12 honors in multiple years after being named to the All-Big 12 second team in 2008. The Plano, Texas, native is also the first Sooner to lead the team outright in goals scored in back-to-back seasons since Jonette Coquat (1998-99). The Sooners finished 2008 at 3-15-1 overall and placed ninth in the Big 12 standings with a 2-7-1 mark.

Softball The OU softball team wrapped up the year 40-16 overall and 14-4 in Big 12 play. The Sooners won their fourth Big 12 regular season title and hosted an NCAA Regional for the second consecutive year. Junior Amber Flores was named Big 12 Player of the Year and head coach Patty Gasso earned her fourth Big 12 Coach of the Year honor. Flores was a first team All-America selection by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and senior Samantha Ricketts was named to the second team.

Women’s Tennis The women’s tennis team finished its first season under head coach David Mullins with a 9-14 overall record and a 3-9 Big 12 record. The Sooners faced a challenging schedule, playing 15 of their 23 matches on the road with nine matches against nationally ranked opponents.

Men’s Tennis The men’s tennis team (12-10, 1-5 Big 12) began the spring season at No. 71 nationally and had three players ranked in the ITA top 75. OU ended the spring season with a national ranking of 44th as the Sooners faced one of the toughest schedules in the nation, one that included duals against 15 teams in the ITA top 75.

Track & Field The fourth year under head coach Martin Smith marked a continued growth for the Sooners as OU added 13 All-Americans and one NCAA champion in 2009. On the conference front, the men and women combined to earn four Big 12 titles. The Sooners reached the double-digit mark in All-America honors for the third consecutive year with eight coming at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and five at the NCAA Indoor Championships. One of the All-Americans, freshman Will Claye, claimed the program’s 13th NCAA title with a win in the triple jump while another, Ti’Anca Mock, recorded a sweep of the Big 12 Conference titles, claiming indoor and outdoor titles in the long jump. Another freshman, Luke Bryant, earned the Big 12 title in the discus.

Wrestling The University of Oklahoma wrestling squad tallied its most victories in seven seasons in head coach Jack Spates’ 16th season at the helm as the 2009 squad finished with a 16-4 overall record.

It marked the 14th straight season that Spates had led the Sooners to at least 10 wins. In OU’s second dual of the season against Oklahoma City, the Sooner head coach picked up his 200th win overall in Norman.

Rowing The University of Oklahoma rowing team completed its inaugural season in the spring of 2009 with twenty-three athletes named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll for their academic performance. In addition, seniors Chelsea Moore and Teddy Dwyer were named Scholar Athletes by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches’ Association which is an honor bestowed on only the most committed of female collegiate rowers. The CRCA also named assistant coach Andy Derrick the Southern Region Assistant Coach of the Year for his work with the OU novices.

Finally, Brooke Sheppard of Lawton, Okla., was one of 40 freshmen in the country invited to attend the United States National Team Freshman Camp. The Sooners ended the season placing the Varsity 4+ and Novice 8+ in fifth and sixth, respectively, at the NCAA South/Central Regional Qualifier.

Volleyball With a young squad in 2008, the Sooners surpassed expectations. The team finished 12-16 overall, 8-12 in Big 12 play for a seventh-place finish. The Sooners started three freshmen and one transfer for the majority of the year, the only team in the league to have that young a starting group. OU recorded its one of its biggest win in school history on Oct. 29, upending thenthird-ranked Texas in Austin. It was Oklahoma’s first win over a top five opponent and the Sooners’ second win in the series.

The freshmen duo of Caitlin Higgins and Brianne Barker were named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team.

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A STORIED AND ACTIVE TRADITION OF ATHLETICS EXCELLENCE The University of Oklahoma athletics program boasts a tradition that few schools can rival. Over the years, Sooner squads have combined for 26 team national championships including eight in men’s gymnastics, seven in football, seven in wrestling, two in baseball, one in men’s golf and one in softball.

The Sooner tradition isn’t something buried in the past. It inspires OU’s student-athletes to greater heights every season.

In 2008-09, the Sooner football team competed in its sixth BCS bowl in just seven years and, in 2008, the men’s gymnastics team earned its fifth national title in seven seasons. In 2002, the Sooner men’s and women’s basketball teams carved their spot in history by advancing to the NCAA Final Four -- only the third time in NCAA history a school accomplished the feat with both teams in the same year. The OU women added another first in 2005-06, becoming the first team men’s or women’s, in Big 12 history to go 16-0 in league play.

Even more remarkable, during the 2001-02 season, the OU football and men’s and women’s basketball teams combined for 74 wins -- the most ever for those three sports by a Division I school in a single season. Oklahoma went 11-2 in football, 31-5 in men’s basketball and 32-4 in women’s basketball. The University of Oklahoma now stands alone in college sports’ 30-30-10 club, created exclusively by OU. Oklahoma’s student-athletes continue to lead in the classroom and their actions in the community are exemplary. With the Great Expectations campaign, Oklahoma continues to build the finest facilities in the nation.

Each day, it becomes more evident that the University of Oklahoma has become one of the finest comprehensive athletics program in the country. When OU student-athletes raise the trophy of another championship, the hands responsible for hoisting that trophy symbolize thousands of Sooners around the globe.

The following represents a closer look at the tradition powering the Oklahoma Sooners: • Oklahoma was playing football before it was a state. It’s only one of two Division I football programs to win seven or more national championships. And OU is the only Division I football program ever to record 47 straight victories.

• Oklahoma gymnastics great Bart Conner won two NCAA all-around crowns and led the Sooners to two NCAA titles in 1977 and 1978. A three-time Olympian (1976, ‘80, ‘84), Conner won two gold medals in 1984. He was instrumental in the foundation of the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City.

• Oklahoma defeated UCLA in the 2000 Women’s College World Series to capture the school’s first softball national championship. The Sooners won 66 games, broke 15 school records, had four All-Americans, the WCWS Most Outstanding Player, three WCWS all-tournament team members, a Big 12 title, a No. 1 ranking and the National Coaching Staff of the Year. The Sooners became just the second non-West Coast team in NCAA history to win a softball national championship.

• The OU men’s basketball team has competed in 27 postseason tournaments in the last 28 years. Last season OU produced its 32nd winning season in the last 33 years. No other Big 12 team can boast as many winning campaigns in the span.

• Sooner football has accumulated seven national championships, 42 conference titles, 24 bowl championships, 148 AllAmericans and had 339 players drafted by the NFL, including 37 first-round selections and three No. 1 picks: Lee Roy Selmon (1976), Billy Sims (1980) and Brian Bosworth (1987—supplemental).

• Oklahoma’s storied wrestling program has amassed 23 conference titles and seven national championships. OU has produced 252 All-Americans and its 65 individual national champions ranks third all-time.

• The OU women’s basketball team became the first team to go a combined 19-0 against league opponents, and was one of only four teams nationally to run the table against their league in 2005-06.

• Oklahoma football has placed 23 former Sooners into the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, including three head coaches: Bennie Owen in 1951, Bud Wilkinson in 1969 and Barry Switzer in 2001.

Wayman Tisdale

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A STORIED AND ACTIVE TRADITION OF ATHLETICS EXCELLENCE Stacey Dales

Roy Williams

• The Oklahoma men’s golf program has produced 47 AllAmericans, eight three-time All-Americans, eight individual conference champions, 14 conference titles and the 1989 national championship.

• Oklahoma men’s basketball great Mookie Blaylock holds the NCAA-single game record for steals in a contest with 13. He accomplished the feat twice in games against Centenary on Dec. 12, 1987, and Loyola-Marymount on Dec. 17, 1988.

• OU football has produced five Heisman Trophy winners: halfback Billy Vessels won the award in 1952, tailback Steve Owens won in 1969, halfback Billy Sims won in 1978, quarterback Jason White brought the trophy back to Norman in 2003 and fellow QB Sam Bradford took home the award last season. OU players have captured 63 national awards and the Sooners have also produced five Outland Trophies, four Walter Camp Trophies, four Butkus Award winners, four Davey O’Brien Awards, three Lombardi Awards, three Thorpe Awards, two Bronko Nagurski Awards, two Maxwell Awards, one Tatupu Award, one Johnny Unitas Award and one Bednarik award.

• The Oklahoma baseball team swept through its regional tournament and the World Series without a loss to capture the 1994 national championship. The Sooners topped off a 42-17 regular season with the school’s second national baseball title.

• Oklahoma golf’s Charlie Coe was one of the most celebrated amateur players in the history of the game. During his career, Coe captured U.S. amateur crowns in 1949, 1958 and 1959. He also played in 19 straight Masters Tournaments. Coe competed on the Walker Cup teams of 1949, 1951 and 1953.

• Oklahoma wrestling has produced 18 Olympians who have collectively won three gold and two silver medals. Brothers Dave and Mark Schultz both won gold in the 1984 games.

• Oklahoma baseball won the 1951 College World Series with a come-from-behind win over Tennessee in the championship game to become the first team in history to claim the title after winning the double-elimination tournament without a defeat.

• Oklahoma basketball great Wayman Tisdale was a three-time All-American for the Sooners from 1983-85 and is the all-time leading scorer and rebounder in OU history. He was a member of the 1984 gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic team and was recently named the greatest player ever in the Big Eight Conference by a panel of longtime conference media observers and officials. Tisdale’s No. 23 jersey was retired by Oklahoma in 1997 -- the first jersey ever retired by OU in any sport.

• Sooner basketball great Stacey Dales graduated as the most decorated player in the program’s history in 2002. She was the WNBA’s third overall draft pick by the Washington Mystics.

In addition to leading OU to the 2002 national championship game, Dales was a two-time consensus All-American, twotime Big 12 Player of the Year, four-time Academic All-Big 12 selection, and two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American.

• Former OU letterwinners Michael Blackwood (track and field), Jonathan Horton (men’s gymnastics) and Danny McFarlane (track and field) represented Oklahoma at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

• Three-time OU All-American Anthony Kim won the 2008 AT&T National in early July, becoming the first American golfer since Tiger Woods to win twice in one year on the PGA Tour.

Kim was also a member of the victorious U.S. squad at the 2008 Ryder Cup where he played a crucial role in winning the cup with a crushing defeat of Sergio Garcia.

• Oklahoma freshman gymnast Megan Ferguson became the first gymnast in Big 12 history to win multiple crowns at the conference championship. The Olathe, Kan., native captured titles on bars and beam, leading the Sooners to their second straight Big 12 title in 2009.

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SOME OF THE MOST RECOGNIZED TRADITIONS IN COLLEGE ATHLETICS The University of Oklahoma has a long and storied history. The rich tradition has given birth to some of the most recognized pageantry in all of college athletics. Here is a look at the origin of some of the elements that create the wonderful atmosphere so unique to OU: Sooners College sports fans are hard-pressed to find a nickname that is as unique and as tied in to a state’s history as a Sooner. The University of Oklahoma is the only school known as Sooners and those who claim that they are Sooners say it with pride.

The Oklahoma Territory opened with the Land Run of 1889.

Settlers from across the globe, seeking free land, made their way to the prairies of the plains to stake their claim. One of the few rules to claiming a lot of land was that all participants were to start at the same time, on the boom of a cannon. All settlers who started then were labeled as “Boomers” and the ones who went early were called “Sooners.”

OU athletic teams were called either Rough Riders or Boomers for 10 years before the current Sooner nickname emerged in 1908. The university actually derived its name from a pep club called “The Sooner Rooters.” The success of University of Oklahoma athletics teams over the years has made the nickname synonymous with winning.

Boomer Sooner One of the most recognizable college fight songs in the country, Boomer Sooner immediately evokes enthusiasm from OU fans and sends chills down the spines of those who dare to oppose them.

In 1905, Arthur M. Alden, a student in history and physiology whose father was a Norman jeweler, wrote the lyrics to the fight song, borrowing the tune from Yale University’s Boola Boola but improvising the words. A year later, an addition was made to it from North Carolina’s I’m a Tarheel Born and the two combined to form today’s university fight song. Though the

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tune was first made known by Yale, the everlasting success of Sooner squads has taken the melody of Boomer Sooner to national popularity.

uniform, but will don team uniforms for football and men’s and women’s basketball. They were voted “Most Collegiate” by the Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA).

Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner Boomer Sooner, OK U! Oklahoma, Oklahoma Oklahoma, Oklahoma Oklahoma, Oklahoma Oklahoma, OK U! I’m a Sooner born and Sooner bred and when I die, I’ll be Sooner dead Rah Oklahoma, Rah Oklahoma Rah Oklahoma, OK U!

Crimson and Cream In the fall of 1895, Miss May Overstreet, the only woman on the faculty, was asked to chair a committee to select the colors of the university. The committee decided the colors should be crimson and cream and an elaborate display of the colors was draped above a platform before the student body.

Mascots The Sooner Schooner is a Conestoga, or covered wagon, reminiscent of the mode of travel used by pioneers who settled Oklahoma. The Schooner is powered by matching white ponies named Boomer and Sooner, and it ventures onto Owen Field in a triumphant victory ride after OU scores. Although the Schooner was introduced in 1964, it did not become the official mascot until 1980. The Schooner is well-recognized by college athletics fans across the country and makes regular appearances at university functions.

Even though the school colors have evolved to red and white over the years, you can ask any self-respecting Sooner what the colors are and they will proudly announce “Crimson and Cream.”

During OU football and baseball games from 1915-1928, Mex the Dog wore a red sweater with a letter “O” on the side. Mex died of old age on April 30, 1928, and he was so popular among students and faculty that the university closed for his funeral and procession on May 2, 1928.

In the fall of 2005, the OU Athletics Deparment introduced costumed mascots. The new characters will act as an extension of the Sooner Schooner and its horses to be enjoyed by fans -especially children -- at all OU athletics contests. The costumes feature traditional collegiate gear as part of their regular

The student body approved with great enthusiasm and immediately pennants, banners, badges and decorations of every description appeared on the streets, in the windows, at chapel, in classrooms, and all public places; however, local merchants could not supply the demand.

On gamedays, a sea of crimson rolls through OU’s home venues and all Sooners are urged to wear the official colors to show the rest of the country what school spirit and Sooner Pride is all about.

Pride of Oklahoma The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band has been supporting Sooner Spirit for more than a century. Unlike many other college bands, which began as military drill units, the Pride of Oklahoma had its beginnings as a pep band.

In the early years of the 1900s, both townspeople of Norman and students of OU participated in a band that played for football games. Professor John Merrill started the first band in 1901, which was composed mostly of townspeople and disbanded after each football season. Lloyd Curtis, a cornetist, founded the first continuous student band in 1904.

SOME OF THE MOST RECOGNIZED TRADITIONS IN COLLEGE ATHLETICS

Today, the 300-member Pride of Oklahoma has members representing virtually every college and major on campus.

The Pride of Oklahoma stands for excellence in musicianship, academics, school spirit, and commitment to our role in the surrounding community.

it means to be a Sooner, the greatness of the university and the unity between all Sooners.

Boomer Sooner rings out at the end of each rehearsal, and that song is the defining element of the University of Oklahoma.

Maybe that is why Sooner fans love the band so much. Not much can compare to the first “go-go” at a football game when the Pride of Oklahoma marches the interlocking OU down the field playing Boomer Sooner.

O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A Our chant rolls on and on!

Thousands strong Join heart and song In alma mater’s praise Of campus beautiful by day and night Of colors proudly gleaming Red and White ‘Neath a western sky OU’s chant will never die.

Live on University!

OU Chant The OU Chant is a loyalty song that is sung before every home football game, before and after every men’s and women’s basketball games and at the end of many athletic and university functions.

Every fan who wears the official colors, each current student and student-athlete and all OU alumni are encouraged to stand and raise one finger in the air during the playing of the Chant -- a symbolic gesture that shows those who do not know what

The Chant was written in 1936 by Jessie Lone Clarkson Gilkey, who directed the OU girl’s glee club from 1936 to 1938 and was voted Outstanding Faculty Woman in 1937.

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SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY THAT SUPPORTS OU OU lives by a clear and strong motto in dealing with its student-athletes...Inspiring Champions for Today, Preparing Leaders for Tomorrow. To fulfill that promise, the athletics department and student-athletes take an active role in a number of community service projects. Sooner studentathletes are exposed to life outside of sports and school work with opportunities to serve and help others.

The Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) is a committee made up of student-athletes from all 21 intercollegiate athletic teams at the University of Oklahoma. The group coordinates community service programs for the Sooners each month.

“Giving back is something that benefits us as much as those we’re helping,” says OU head softball coach Patty Gasso. “It brings us back to reality and makes us realize that there is more to life than collegiate softball. I feel it’s our duty to help out because of the role we’re in as a Division I softball program.”

The University of Oklahoma men’s golf program has held an annual Clubs for Kids event in early May at the Lakeview Golf Course in Ardmore, Okla. Providing clubs and instruction, the event allows more than 1,000 southeastern Oklahoma youth an opportunity to interact with the OU golf team and coaches.

Oklahoma women’s basketball teams have been extremely active in the community since head coach Sherri Coale’s arrival in 1996. In addition to projects with the United Way, Coaches

vs. Cancer, Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity and the Children’s Miracle Network, Coale implemented the Sooner Big Sis Program which places women’s basketball players at elementary schools in Norman to serve as mentors and teachers’ aides.

“I want our student-athletes to learn through their experience here,” says Coale, “how important it is to volunteer to be a part of whatever community they decide to reside in when their playing days are over.”

Oklahoma’s student-athletes recognize that wearing the Crimson and Cream means representing a popular sports program and themselves as individuals. They are encouraged to respond to a public that adores them, while learning important lessons about making a positive impact in the lives of others and in the community in which they live.

Community service events for OU student-athletes from the past year included: • Women’s basketball players and coaches visited the Children’s Hospital in Oklahoma City and participated in the Sooner Big Sis Program, an event in which each student-athlete selects a Norman elementary school class and visits the class weekly for an hour.

• The Oklahoma baseball team annually attends Willow Springs Boys Ranch to spend time with children and host a

Whitney Hand

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barbeque, in addition to visiting the “Miracle League” in Edmond and working with children at local elementary schools.

• The OU men’s gymnastics team participated in AdoptAn-Angel, Safe Trick-Or-Treat and volunteered at various elementary schools in the Norman area. The team earned the Volunteer of the Year award by the Norman United Way and Junior League of Norman. for its work at Norman’s Cleveland Elementary School.

• The OU Athletics Department participated in “Think if You Drink,” a community campaign to help promote safe and responsible drinking among student-athletes and students on campus.

• The football program participated in Special Spectators for children with terminal illnesses by visiting and playing with the children.

• OU student-athletes and coaches made contact with more than 1,000 Norman Public Schools students in 20 schools as visiting readers, tutors, mentors and other special events including speaking engagements.

• The OU women’s volleyball team visited Santa Fe High School, mentored children during lunch at Norman Lutheran Church, led FCA at Alcott Middle School, refereed and taught children’s volleyball for Jumping Juniors and the Homeschool Association and spoke to the young adults at Tulsa High School.

SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY THAT SUPPORTS OU

Jermaine Gresham

• Oklahoma men’s basketball has been involved with community organizations including the American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association, Boys and Girls Clubs, Boy Scouts of America, Citizens Caring for Children, Children’s Miracle Network, Food and Shelter for Friends, Sooner Reading Program, the Oklahoma Blood Institute, the Oklahoma Committee to Prevent Child Abuse and Special Olympics, among others.

• Bridge Builders, the African American Student-Athlete Network, organized student outreach programs at Marcus Garvey Leadership Charter School and Moon Middle School helping to impart ideas and strategies to young people that will help them be successful in sports as well as life.

• Oklahoma women’s basketball players supported the Special Olympics in Norman and Noble. The players were honorary hug givers and cheerleaders, encouraging Oklahoma’s special stars. The Sooners also assisted the United Way in its Meals on Wheels program. OU delivered, sacked and decorated bags that contained food items for emergency use during the winter months.

• Sooner football players spent more than 300 hours involved in various community projects during the course of the year including the Clinic for Kids, visiting elementary schools and

conducting the annual food drive.

• OU student-athletes hosted Safe Trick-or-Treat and provided candy, games and safe entertainment for hundreds of local children and their families at the Lloyd Noble Center.

• More than 450 hours of community service were put in by OU student-athletes through the Life Skills Program. Events included reading to school children,leading middle school FCA meetings, speaking to elementary school children, and visits to children’s hospital.

• The women’s basketball team earned the 2009 CHAMPS/ Life Skills Team Competition Award. The team earned points through community service hours, attendance at life skills events, athletics competitions, BridgeBuilder and SAAC events as well as participation in campus cultural events. The squad also earned points for individual GPAs.

• The football, basketball, baseball, and gymnastics teams were involved with Special Spectators, a national organization that invites seriously ill children to attend a sporting event and meet the players and coaches. The Sooners hosted more than 20 children from several Oklahoma City hospitals who attended sporting events on the OU campus.

• OU participated in the Adopt-an-Angel Toy Drive in which toys and clothing were given by student–athletes and department staff to the Salvation Army, Women’s Resource Center and individuals in need during the holiday season.

• The Sooners sponsored a campus-wide blood drive with the American Red Cross with more than 100 donors whose donations will help save the lives of more than 500 people.

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SHOWCASING THE SOONERS TO A NATIONAL AUDIENCE Oklahoma Athletics is a household name due to the overwhelming media attention that hovers around the Sooners. Writers and broadcasters representing the nation’s most recognized media outlets regularly interact with Sooner players and coaches and routinely spend time in Norman.

And when they can’t come to campus, those same observers keep tabs on OU thanks to extensive television coverage. The Sooners are at the very center of the college athletics and everybody is watching.

• In 2008, all 14 Oklahoma football games appeared on live television. OU enters the 2009 season with a streak of 85 consecutive televised games and has been shown on TV 295 times dating back to the 1953 season.

• During the 2008-09 season, the men’s basketball team received live television coverage of 28 games, including 17 nationally televised contests.

• The women’s basketball team was seen live for 26 games during the 2008-09 season, including national coverage for 16 contests.

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• The OU baseball team received television coverage for eight regular-season baseball games in 2009, including five on Fox Sports Net’s national coverage.

• Over the past nine years, ESPN’s popular College Football Gameday production has broadcast on site from 21 of Oklahoma’s games.

• Both the men’s and women’s gymnastics teams have had regular television coverage thanks to consistent top-10 rankings through the years. The nation focused its eyes on Norman in April 2006 when the Sooners hosted the NCAA Men’s Gymnastics National Championships at Lloyd Noble Center, while the women were shown nationally bringing home the 2008 and 2009 Big 12 Championship crowns.

• An average of over 3 million people logged on to SoonerSports.com every month last year, making the official Web site of the Oklahoma Athletics Department one of the top collegiate sites in the nation.

• The Women’s College World Series is hosted in Oklahoma City each year, with all games shown live across the nation.

• The popularity of the Sooners is evident in the immense amount of products and apparel purchased by fans. OU ranks 11th in the nation in sales of licensed merchandise.

• Since 2000, Oklahoma student-athletes have appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated 12 times. Sooner football is one of the most popular subjects for SI with 33 cover appearances.

• Many former Sooners have gone on to successful careers as talent for the nation’s top media outlets including CBS’ Spencer Tillman and Stacy Dales, who has worked with ESPN and Westwood One Radio. Former OU athletes are often called on to provide color commentary during regional broadcasts due to their championship experience and athletics expertise.

SHOWCASING THE SOONERS TO A NATIONAL AUDIENCE

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ROBIN SIEGFRIED & FAMILY STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING Oklahoma’s weight training program is a pioneer in the development of strength and conditioning, and is a vital part of the Sooners’ tradition of success. OU strength and conditioning coaches utilize their expertise along with a wide array of equipment and tests to produce national championship caliber athletes.

Evaluation, goal-oriented programs, supervision and stateof-the-art facilities help Oklahoma athletes become bigger, faster, stronger and more flexible. The Robin Siegfried & Family Strength and Conditioning Complex, located in the Barry Switzer Center, has 13,000 square feet to facilitate the intensive training of OU athletes. An additional facility, the Roy Williams Strength Training Facility, is available for workouts inside the Everest Training Center. The former Sooner football All-American and Dallas Cowboy made the center possible through a gift to the University.

nutrition. A strength and conditioning coordinator for each sport is provided to assist athletes in reaching the highest possible training levels.

The OU strength and conditioning staff takes great pride in providing a very intensive program that helps maintain greater overall body strength and conditioning levels during the season. By maintaining strength in the muscles and connective tissues throughout the season, the potential for injuries decreases.

The off-season program is also extremely intensive. Speed, strength, power, agility, fundamentals and nutrition are addressed. The OU staff is committed to full compliance with NCAA rules concerning time allocation for student-athletes and voluntary workouts during off-season periods.

Jerry Schmidt, director of sports enhancement, says the complex is a state-of-the-art facility where athletes work closely with six full-time staff members. “Oklahoma recognizes the importance of conditioning,” says Schmidt. “This facility is reflective of that commitment.”

The staff ’s interaction with the nutritional consultants on campus is essential. The staff maintains an open channel of communication with the dining staff at the Wagner Dining Center. This interaction enables the strength and conditioning staff to ensure that OU athletes receive a winning edge with a sound nutrition program.

The objective of the strength and conditioning program is to ensure each student-athlete in every sport is provided with a sound in-season and off-season program. This program of activity includes strength, conditioning, flexibility and

“Our goal is to get the student-athletes in their best condition,” says Schmidt. “That condition will give Oklahoma an edge at the end of a game. Top of the line conditioning is what it takes to be a Sooner athlete. Running, lifting and good nutrition

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must be kept in a balance. All these components must be in place for an athlete to compete at the highest level.”

Located at the south end of the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, the Barry Switzer Center houses administrative offices, the 9,000-square-foot football locker room, 6,500-square-foot the equipment room, the 10,000-square-foot Henry J. Freede Sports Medicine Facility, over 12,000 square feet of meeting rooms and the 7,000-square-foot Touchdown Club Legends Lobby in addition to the Siegfried and Family Strength and Conditioning Complex.

HENRY J. FREEDE, M.D., SPORTS MEDICINE FACILITY

The Oklahoma Athletics Department feels a strong responsibility to help its athletes reach and maintain their optimum health and achieve conditioning goals. For this reason, OU has developed excellent training and conditioning programs to lessen the possibility of injuries. However, should injuries occur, the department is committed to a comprehensive rehabilitation program.

Complete athletically-related medical services are provided to Oklahoma student-athletes by team physicians and OU’s certified athletic trainers. The University of Oklahoma obtains the services of the best medical consultants available.

The base of operation for the Sooners’ medical care is the state-of-the-art Henry J. Freede, M.D. Sports Medicine Center in the Barry Switzer Center.

Head athletic trainer Scott Anderson says the addition to the Barry Switzer Center has allowed the university to upgrade to a new edition of rehabilitation equipment that can best benefit the student-athletes.

From simple therobands to taping tables, the facility offers everything a school can have or hope to have. The Sooner training room is equipped to perform isokinetic joint evaluation for preventive medicine and for post-injury rehabilitation.

The therapy room is supplied with the latest modalities on the market.

goal of athletic training at Oklahoma is, first of all, care for the student-athletes, thereby granting our sports a competitive advantage and ultimately greater esteem for the entire program.

“To that end we are blessed with a full complement of selfsacrificing medical professionals working on a regular basis with our athletic training staff.”

“The addition of space is the greatest benefit,” says Anderson. “This space allows for dedicated rehabilitation and consultation to the athletes. An option with the facility is the water rehabilitation area. The athlete stands in a pool of water that is adjusted to his or her own physical needs. Cameras are then placed where physicians can monitor the progress made by the athlete on his or her road to recovery.”

A total team effort is the key to OU’s efficiency in preventing, treating and rehabilitating injuries sustained by studentathletes. These measures keep Sooner athletes at their highest level of performance as they compete for championships.

“Sports medicine is a team effort,” says Anderson. “The stated

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GREAT EXPECTATIONS AND BEYOND With one of the greatest winning traditions in intercollegiate athletics, the University of Oklahoma, its players, coaches and fans understand the meaning of “Great Expectations.” OU hopes for and expects great things from its athletics teams -- and the athletes and coaches expect the same from themselves. Time and time again, the Sooners have delivered on this expectation: 26 national championships, more than 200 conference titles and more than 1,000 All-Americans.

The University of Oklahoma’s goal is to provide first-class facilities and resources for all the programs and endeavors sponsored by the institution. OU Athletics captures so much attention and interest that it requires the help and support of all Sooners to continue the tradition that all have enjoyed. With that in mind, OU launched “Great Expectations...The Campaign for Sooner Sports” in 1999.

“Great Expectations - The Campaign for Sooner Sports,” a recently completed fund-raising effort, was about the continuation of a proud championship tradition. It was a fiveyear campaign launched with an eventual goal of $100 million, making possible an extraordinary era in new athletics facilities that has led to unprecedented athletic and academic success for OU student-athletes.

Among the accomplishments made possible by Great Expectations’ donors: an expanded, renovated and more beautiful football stadium; two completely new facilities for men’s and women’s basketball at Lloyd Noble Center; new or renovated facilities for baseball, softball, volleyball, wrestling, softball, tennis, soccer and track and field; new strength and conditioning and sports medicine centers and an indoor training center.

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Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium The $75 million expansion and renovation of OU’s football stadium, completed in 2004, transformed a towering concrete structure into a beautiful facility featuring the brick and cast stone that characterize OU’s historic buildings. The expansion added 8,000 seats, including 56 suites, on the east side. At the same time, the press box was remodeled and outfitted with several state-of-the-art features. This historical facility is the largest sports arena in the state, and following its recent expansion, now ranks among the 15 largest on-campus facilities in the nation.

and helped develop OU’s reputation as a pioneer in the strength and conditioning field.

Everest Training Center Considered one of the premier indoor facilities in the country, the Everest Training Center is a 74,000-square-foot center that includes a full-size playing field, simulated stadium lighting, a complete scoreboard with play clocks, LED 40-yard timing devices and a ceiling that hangs 65 feet above the playing surface to allow for all kicking and throwing drills.

Henry J. Freede, M.D., Sports Medicine Facility This 10,000-square-foot sports medicine facility within the Barry Switzer Center treats athletes from all 21 sports, ensuring the best possible health for OU student-athletes through preventative medicine and post-injury treatment and rehabilitation.

McClendon Center for Intercollegiate Athletics While the football gameday facilities in the Gaylord FamilyOklahoma Memorial Stadium may be more familiar to OU supporters, the north side McClendon Center for Intercollegiate Athletics is one of the most vital areas for OU’s entire athletics program as it is the center of student learning and athletics administration activities.

Robin Siegfried and Family Strength and Conditioning Complex This 13,000-square-foot facility serves more than 500 athletes in OU’s 21 sports. The state-of-the-art facility inside the Barry Switzer Center has been central to OU’s success in recent years

Barry Switzer Center A special feature is the Barry Switzer Center on the south side of the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, where OU’s storied football history is displayed, media conferences are held and recruits are entertained. The center recently experienced a significant upgrade to reflect this success and to fully realize the original vision as an exhibit area focusing on OU’s greatest victories and most successful coaching eras.

Fred & Mary Eddy Jones Foundation Red Room The Red Room is where OU football players meet as a team or offensive/defensive units to watch motivational videos before each game. OU’s offense and defense post their goals for each week, and the Sooner coach holds his post-game press conference in this area.

Headington Family Tennis Center Expansion The men’s and women’s tennis teams completed one of the finest indoor venues in the country in 2009. Highlights of the new, 55,000 square-foot facility include six air-conditioned courts, championship-quality lighting and surface, and approximately 375 chair-back seats for spectators, which are elevated between the courts. The programs opened a 12-court

GREAT EXPECTATIONS AND BEYOND

outdoor championship facility in 2001 during the Great Expectations campaign and was particularly notable because it was donations exclusively from tennis letterwinners who made the new courts possible.

John Crain Field at the OU Soccer Complex The University of Oklahoma Athletics Department and the soccer program enjoyed a $4.5 million expansion to the soccer stadium in 2006. In addition to a press box and a permanent grandstand, a multi-use building is located between John Crain Field at the OU Soccer Complex and the Headington Family Tennis Center at the corner of Chautauqua Avenue and Imhoff Road. The multi-purpose complex includes locker rooms, meeting and video rooms and offices for the student-athletes and coaches.

Softball Indoor Facility The OU softball team broke ground on an indoor hitting facility in July 2008 was completed prior to the 2009 season.

In 2002, the Robert E. Young and Family Softball Locker Room was added to the Softball Complex, giving the team a spacious and comfortable gathering place for preparation and relaxation. In 2003, the softball field was named in honor of retired softball coach and women’s administrator Marita Hynes.

Baseball Practice Facility With an estimated cost of $1 million, the OU baseball team opened an indoor hitting facility and practice infield at L. Dale Mitchell Park prior to the 2009 season. The 5,160-squarefoot facility has three full-size hitting/pitching lanes and is air conditioned and heated. Previous renovations to L. Dale Mitchell Park were completed in 2001 when the press box underwent state-of-the-art improvements including four suites and a press area, the Mike Treps Media Room. The facility originally opened in 1982.

John Jacobs Track and Field Complex The project, which was completed in spring 2004, included a 25,000-square-foot building connecting the Mosier Indoor Practice Facility with the Everest Training Center. This new building includes track and field locker rooms, a sports medicine room and a video teaching room. The John Jacobs Track was altered and re-surfaced to include European Oval turns for a faster track and nine 48-inch wide lanes. Other improvements include upgrades of field event areas, placing them directionally north/south and east/west to take advantage of wind conditions; spectator seating for 2,000; new restrooms and concessions; and the installation of championship lighting.

Howard McCasland Field House The Field House is one of OU’s most historic buildings. Many OU alumni fondly recall the field house as the home of OU’s basketball program, which it was until Lloyd Noble Center opened in 1975. In 2005, the Field House underwent a $6 million facelift that included a complete interior renovation comprised of a resanded and repainted floor with four efficient practice courts and chair-back seating that offers fans more comfort. In addition, the entire facility was repainted and

improvements were made to the HVAC system, sound system, lighting and scoreboards. The Sooners have also enjoyed renovations done to the training room as well as an upgrade to both the volleyball and wrestling locker rooms.

Wrestling Practice Facility Connected to the McCasland Field House, the Athletics Department launched a $2.4 million project in 2008. The bulk of the construction will include a $1.3 million addition to the Port Robertson Wrestling Center. The facility serves as the practice venue for the Sooner wrestling team.

Mary Jane Noble Women’s Basketball Center In 1975, the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation of Ardmore made the first million-dollar gift in OU history with its contribution to OU’s campaign to build a multi-purpose arena. In 1999, the foundation made another gift to support the renovation of the original center, adding first-class matching facilities for the men’s and women’s basketball teams. The Lloyd Noble Center addition includes two new full-sized practice courts for the men’s and women’s basketball teams.

Bob and Ann Coleman Men’s Basketball Center The nearly 63,000-square-feet Lloyd Noble Center addition offers a matched set of men’s and women’s facilities, including full-sized practice courts, new team and coaches’ locker rooms, training rooms and steam/spa/sauna rooms. Office facilities and conference rooms provide views of the practice courts as special features and a shared weight training facility was created. The Kerr-McGee Courtside Club gives fans a venue for special events.

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THE BIG 12 CONFERENCE The Big 12 Conference has established a consistent level of national success on the field and in the classroom as it enters its 14th season in 2009-10. Since it began play in 1996-97, the Conference can boast of 34 team crowns and over 400 individual NCAA Championships. The success continued through 2008-09 as Texas A&M captured national titles in men’s golf as well as men’s and women’s outdoor track & field. The league placed two teams in the Bowl Championship Series for the fifth time and had a team play for the BCS National Championship for the sixth season. In addition, two volleyball teams advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Championship and Oklahoma played in the Women’s Final Four. Missouri softball and Texas baseball punched tickets to the College World Series.

Over the past five seasons a total of 13 NCAA trophies have been hoisted by Big 12 institutions, with at least one national crown won in all but one year for the Conference, including each of the past 12 seasons.

Among individual honors, Sally Kipyego (Texas Tech) became the first NCAA Division I female or male runner to win three consecutive cross country national championships. She was named the Honda Award winner for the third season as the nation’s top female cross country athlete, becoming just the eighth athlete to win the award three times in any sport. Jenny Barringer (Colorado) claimed the Honda Award for Track & Field while Oleksandr Nedovyesov (Oklahoma State) was named ITA/ Campbell’s Tennis Player of the Year.

In basketball, 10 women’s and nine men’s teams have advanced to their respective Final Fours in the past eight seasons as the Big 12 continues its place among the elite intercollegiate athletic conferences. The six men’s Final Four participants since 2002 are tied for the most of any conference. Numerous national honors have been won by basketball student-athletes during the league’s history. The Big 12 had a national player of the year honoree for the third straight year when Blake Griffin (Oklahoma) was the consensus winner in 2008-09. Courtney Paris (Oklahoma) gave the conference a consensus All-America selection in women’s basketball for the ninth straight season.

For the fourth time in its 13-year history a Big 12 studentathlete won the Heisman Trophy. The Big 12 also established a high-water mark, as for the first time in the 74-year history of the Heisman Trophy four of the top five vote-getters hailed from the same conference, including award-winner Sam Bradford (Oklahoma).

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The Big 12 leads all conferences with its six appearances in BCS title games. League squads have played for the football national championship six times in the last nine years with berths in 16 BCS games overall, including two each in 2007 and 2008. The Big 12 led all conferences with five teams ranked in the final 2008 BCS Standings. In addition, an all-time high nine league players earned consensus All-America recognition this past season, more than any other conference.

The Big 12 and its member institutions are committed to a competitive environment where sportsmanship and fair play take center stage. Whether on the field, in the classroom, or within the community the student-athletes, administrators, coaches and game officials of the Big 12 support the highest ideals in sportsmanship.

Big 12 student-athletes also do well in garnering national academic recognition. Sarah Pavan (Nebraska) was named Academic All-America of the Year in volleyball in 2006 and 2007

by ESPN The Magazine and College Sports Information Directors of America with a 4.0 grade-point average in Biochemistry. She also won the national academic honor presented for all sports in 2006-07 and was named recipient of the prestigious 200607 Honda-Broderick Award as Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year. She is the first athlete since the Big 12 was formed to earn the accolade. In its history, the conference has over 330 academic honorees, averaging more than 25 each season.

The Big 12 can boast of other stories that combine on and off the field success. Patience Knight (Texas Tech) was the recipient of the Honda Inspiration Award in 2008, given to an outstanding female college athlete who overcomes adversity to excel in her sport. She was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in 2007, but rebounded to win All-America honors at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.

Competitive excellence, scholarship and sportsmanship are all equal components of the Big 12 philosophy. All-Big 12 teams and Academic All-Big 12 squads are recognized for each sport at the end of their respective seasons.

At the end of each academic year, the Conference honors its top male and female student-athletes with the Big 12 Athlete of the Year and Big 12 Sportsperson of the Year awards.

THE BIG 12 CONFERENCE Institutions can also nominate student-athletes for the prestigious Dr. Prentice Gautt Postgraduate Scholarships at the end of each academic year. A total of 225 scholars have received over 1.3 million in postgraduate financial aid through the first 13 years of the program.

The Big 12 sponsors 21 sports. Men’s squads include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field, swimming & diving, tennis and wrestling.

Women’s teams are fielded in basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis and volleyball.

The conference is made up of 12 institutions that have shared many traditional rivalries throughout their histories. Member schools include - Baylor University, University of Colorado, Iowa State University, University of Kansas, Kansas State University, University of Missouri, University of Nebraska, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, University of Texas, Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University.

The institutions created a league that encompasses seven states, over 45 million people and television households in 18 of the top 100 markets within its geographic footprint.

The conference conducts championships for 20 of its 21 sports. Each championship helps to determine teams and/or individuals that will represent the Conference in national postseason competition.

The winner of the Big 12 football championship game earns the league’s berth into the prestigious Bowl Championship Series.

In the last several years the Big 12 has increased its bowl agreements and expanded television opportunities for all sports through contracts with ABC/ESPN and FSN. Most recently, the league renewed and expanded its multi-year arrangement with ABC/ESPN, Inc. The new contract began in 2008-09.

In its first 13 years, the Conference has distributed more than $1.1 billion to its 12 member institutions.

The Big 12 staff administers to over 4,600 student-athletes in 21 sports. The conference office is headquartered in Irving, Texas.

BIG 12 CONFERENCE STAFF Commissioner ...............................................................................................................................................Dan Beebe Deputy Commissioner ...................................................................................................................................Tim Weiser Senior Associate Commissioner ....................................................................................................................... Tim Allen Senior Associate Commissioner .................................................................................................................. Dru Hancock Associate Commissioner - Men’s Basketball & Game Management .....................................................John Underwood Chief Financial Officer .................................................................................................................................... Steve Pace Assistant Commissioner - Communications ....................................................................................................Bob Burda Assistant Commissioner - Events & Human Resources ............................................................................. Brad Clements Assistant Commissioner - Governance, Compliance & Academics................................................................. Lori Ebihara Assistant Commissioner - Championships ................................................................................................. Dayna Scherf Assistant Commissioner - Football & Student Services ..................................................................................Ed Stewart Director of Compliance ...................................................................................................................................Keri Boyce Director of Communications ......................................................................................................................... Rob Carolla Director of Football Championship .........................................................................................................Donnie Duncan Director of Marketing ....................................................................................................................................Mark Keith Coordinator of Football Officials ..............................................................................................................Walt Anderson Associate Director of Communications .......................................................................................... Joni James Lehmann Assistant Director of Communications ....................................................................................................Carmen Branch Assistant Director of Video Services .......................................................................................................... Sean Hollister Internet Services Coordinator .................................................................................................................Kiron Andersen Championships Manager ............................................................................................................................ Blair Beneke Business/Ticket Manager ..................................................................................................................................Tim Frick Executive Assistant to the Commissioner/Manager of Executive Affairs ..................................................... Melanie Ellis Administrative Assistant .......................................................................................................................... Regina Everett Administrative Assistant ................................................................................................................................ Tracy Hunt Administrative Assistant ............................................................................................................................Valerie Rocha Administrative Assistant ........................................................................................................................... Neesha Quinn Receptionist/Administrative Assistant ................................................................................................Michelle Peterson Will Hancock Communications Assistant .....................................................................................................Candice Eng Will Hancock Communications Assistant ...........................................................................................Emily Franzenburg Internet Services Assistant ......................................................................................................................Sam Neumann

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NORMAN Norman was recently named by Money Magazine as No. 6 of America’s Best Places to Live among “small” cities or locations with a population between 50,000 and 300,000.

Norman is an ever-changing city of nearly 100,000 residents.

Located in the heart of the state, it has grown to become the third largest city in Oklahoma. Despite its continuous growth, it has maintained the spirit and serenity of a small close-knit community.

Since the Oklahoma landrush of 1889, Norman has grown into a popular and smart city. The spirit of Norman and its citizens is unwavering and uncompromising. While other towns were clamoring to become the state capital, Norman residents desired to have the first state university. When the first OU president got off the train and saw a prairie, he saw opportunity.

As home to the state’s premier educational institution, Norman boasts an excellent quality of life and is a city that thrives on and celebrates the diversity of its community.

Legendary University of Oklahoma football coach Barry Switzer called Norman “a university town with a championship spirit.”

Norman continually exhibits its love for sports by hosting numerous local and national athletic events.

In the last five years alone, Norman has served as host of the NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championship, an NCAA men’s golf

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regional, NCAA softball regionals, NCAA men’s and women’s gymnastics regionals, NCAA women’s tennis regionals, NCAA track and field regional and the NCAA women’s basketball regionals. In addition, the Big 12 Conference Men’s and Women’s Tennis, Track and Field, Wrestling, Women’s Golf, and Women’s Gymnastics Championships were held in Norman.

History, a state-of-the-art facility designed to display a collection of historical and natural science items that trace the southwest’s development since prehistoric times, opened in May 2000. History buffs will also enjoy the Cleveland Country Historical House which holds exhibits relating to the development of this area of the state.

Cultural activities are unlimited in Norman, making it the ideal backdrop for the University of Oklahoma. As home to people of all ethnic and educational backgrounds, the city has something to offer everyone. Norman is home to a variety of enriching events and attractions, including the Sooner Theater, which hosts a series of entertaining theatrical performances produced by locally-based talent and touring companies.

For art enthusiasts, the Fred Jones Jr. Memorial Art Center houses permanent collections, nationally and world-renowned traveling exhibits as well as a yearly student art show. The museum has recently added the Weitzenhoffer Collection of French Impressionist paintings -- the single most important gift of art ever given to a U.S. public university.

The city also showcases local and regional artists in its annual May Fair. In addition, through the university’s School of Drama, School of Dance and the School of Music, stage productions are offered year round.

The Medieval Fair has become a springtime tradition in Norman as people from around the country converge on the city for one weekend each April to partake in a fascinating look back in time. Each year, an area park is transformed into a festival of sights, sounds and tastes straight from the Middle Ages. Knights joust, jesters entertain and story tellers spin tales of a magical time in history.

The $44 million Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural

Maintaining a progressive approach to the future while remembering its history, Norman continues to be a wellbalanced community, proud to be the home of the University of Oklahoma.

OKLAHOMA CITY AND TULSA

NORMAN - By the Numbers 6 - Norman was recently ranked No. 6 of America’s Best Places to Live by Money Magazine among “small” cities” or locations with a population between 50,000 and 300,000.

18 - Located just 18 miles north of Norman, the state’s capital, Oklahoma City, offers all the trappings of a large metropolitan area within an easy drive.

70 - The average annual temperature in Norman is a cool 70 degrees. The area enjoys a temperate climate with mild winters and four distinct seasons with a warm spring and fall.

100,000 - Norman is the third largest city in the state with nearly 100,000 residents. Despite its growth, the city nurtures and maintains its small, college town atmosphere.

OKLAHOMA CITY Oklahoma City, the capital of Oklahoma, is located just 18 miles from the Norman campus. It was the first city settled in the Land Run of 1889 because of its position as the center of the state. It is because of this central location that Oklahoma City has become known as the home of America’s Western heritage.

Whether adventure, history, culture or sports, Oklahoma City offers a variety of attractions and activities different from any other place in the country.

Thousands crossed the borders of “unassigned lands” at the sound of gunfire at high noon. Never before or since has such a “run” occurred anywhere on the earth.

By the time the dust had settled on that historic day, many people had staked their claim at “Oklahoma Station,” an area which was destined to become Oklahoma City, a leading city in America. In 1911, Oklahoma City officially became the capital after a statewide election moved the state seal from Guthrie.

Oklahoma City has become a haven for exciting sports action. It is home of an NBA team, two semi-professional sports teams and the host of the NCAA Women College Softball World Series and Big 12 Softball Championship. The Oklahoma RedHawks, 1996 American Association champions (then named the Oklahoma City 89ers), are the Triple-A baseball affiliate of the Texas Rangers. The team plays in the 13,066-seat AT&T Bricktown Ballpark, one of the plushest venues in all of minor league sports. The ballpark served as host to a 2004 NCAA baseball regional and the 2005, 2006, 2007 and 208 Big 12 Baseball Championships.

Hockey mania runs rampant with the recent success of the Central Hockey League’s Oklahoma City Blazers. The Blazers won the CHL crown in 1996 and are yearly one of the league’s best teams. In addition, the city has hosted numerous PGA and Senior PGA Tour events.

TULSA Tulsa, the state’s second largest city, is located 100 miles to the northeast of Norman in the heart of Oklahoma’s Green Country.

Ask people to describe Tulsa, and you’ll likely get many different answers. It was a city forever changed by the discovery of oil in 1901. It is home to art deco treasures and nationally renowned museums. Its African-American heritage left its mark, in both the business and music worlds. And it’s a city of nostalgia and special memories for countless Americans due to its location on historic Route 66.

Tulsa is a cosmopolitan town that appeals to both young families and retirees. National touring exhibitions can be seen at the Philbrook Museum of Art, which was recently featured on the television program America’s Castles. For great western art, check out the Gilcrease Museum, and music legends are commemorated at Oklahoma’s Jazz Hall of Fame. Other unique attractions worth a stop include the Elsing Museum, Ida Dennie Willis Museum of Miniatures, Dolls & Toys, Tulsa Air and Space Center and the Fenster Museum of Jewish Art. Tulsa is now home to the WNBA franchise, the Tulsa Shock.

Oklahoma City was born on the afternoon of April 22, 1889, when the central portion of what is now Oklahoma was opened to settlement by presidential proclamation.

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UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT DAVID L. BOREN

D

avid L. Boren, who has served Oklahoma as governor and U.S. senator, became the thirteenth president of the University of Oklahoma in November 1994. He is the first person in state history to have served in all three positions.

Boren is widely respected for his academic credentials, his longtime support of education, and for his distinguished political career as a reformer of the American political system. A graduate of Yale University in 1963, Boren majored in American history, graduated in the top one percent of his class and was elected Phi Beta Kappa. He was selected as a Rhodes Scholar and earned a master’s degree in politics, philosophy and economics from Oxford University, England, in 1965.

For more than 10 years, he led the fight for congressional campaign finance reform and for legislation discouraging administration and congressional staff from cashing in on government experience and contacts by becoming lobbyists. In addition, he introduced legislation seeking to limit gifts and travel subsidies that government workers, including members of Congress, can receive from lobbyists. Boren also chaired the special 1992-93 Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress, which produced proposals to make Congress more efficient and responsive by streamlining congressional bureaucracy, reducing staff sizes and reforming procedures to end legislative gridlock.

In 1968, he received a law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law, where he was on the Law Review, elected to the Order of the Coif, and won the Bledsoe Prize as the outstanding graduate by a vote of the faculty.

As Oklahoma’s governor from 1974 through 1978, Boren promoted key educational initiatives that have had an enduring impact on Oklahoma. Established during his tenure were the Oklahoma Arts Institute, the Scholar-Leadership Enrichment Program, and the Oklahoma Physicians Manpower Training Program, which provides scholarships for medical students and medical personnel who commit to practice in underserved rural areas. Also, the first state funding for Gifted and Talented classes was provided in 1976 and, from 1976 through 1978, Oklahoma ranked first among all states in the percentage increases of funding for higher education.

One of Boren’s most far-reaching projects in promoting quality education at all levels is the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, which he founded in 1985. The foundation recognizes outstanding public school students and teachers and helps establish private local foundations to help give academic endowment grants to local public schools. As a senator, he was the author of the National Security Education Act in 1992, which provides scholarships for study abroad and for learning additional languages, as well as legislation to restore the tax deductibility of gifts of appreciated property to universities in 1993.

Boren, also a former state legislator, spent nearly three decades in elective politics before becoming the president of the University of Oklahoma. Boren was the youngest governor in the nation when he served from 1974 to 1978. Known as a reformer, Boren campaigned with a broom as his symbol. During his term, he instituted many progressive programs, including conflict-of-interest rules, campaign-financing disclosure, stronger open meeting laws for public bodies, more competitive bidding on state government contracts, and reform of the state’s prison system, including expanded education programs for first-time offenders and the largest expansion of the work-release program in state history.

During his time in the U.S. Senate from 1979 to 1994, Boren served on the Senate Finance and Agriculture Committees and was the longest-serving chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. From his days as a state legislator and governor of Oklahoma to Washington, Boren carried a commitment to reform, leading numerous efforts to make government work better for American citizens. As chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, he strengthened oversight of secret government programs and reformed the procedures for Presidential notice of such programs to Congress.

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on the program at Harvard, an interdisciplinary religious studies program, the Artist-in-Residence Program, the International Programs Center, and the Faculty-in-Residence Program putting faculty family apartments in student residence halls. The Retired Professors Program has been started, bringing 50 retired full professors back to the University to teach freshmen.

The number of new facilities started or completed on the campus during the Boren years has matched the explosion in new programs. Since 1994, almost $1 billion in construction projects have been completed or are under way on OU’s three campuses.

Among the largest of the recent projects are the $18.7 million renovation and expansion of historic Holmberg Hall, home of music and dance programs; the $67 million National Weather Center; the $19 million addition to the Michael F. Price College of Business; the $17 million Gaylord Hall for journalism and mass communication; the $27 million Stephenson Research and Technology Center; and the $83.5 million stadium project. The Health Sciences Center has a new Student Union, and the new $24 million Stanton L. Young Biomedical Research Center.

Presidential Travel Scholarships, students from 111 countries on campus, more reciprocal international exchange agreements than any other university and the new International Programs Center are all making OU more international. The new Honors College helps to assure that no students need to leave Oklahoma to find an educational experience to match their potential.

In 1995, Boren launched the “Reach for Excellence” fundraising campaign with a five-year goal of $200 million, which was twice as large as any fundraising drive in Oklahoma history. The drive exceeded $500 million, raising OU into the top 15 public universities in the United States in private endowment per capita. Since 1994, endowed professorships have more than quadrupled and the OU donor base has grown from 18,000 to more than 107,000 friends and alumni. During the first 10 years of Boren’s tenure over $1 billion in private gifts were donated to the university.

President David L. Boren and Molly Shi Boren

Boren left the U.S. Senate in 1994 with an approval rating of 9l percent after being reelected with 83 percent of the vote in 1990, the highest percentage in the nation in a U.S. Senate contest in that election year.

Boren served from 1988 to 1997 as a member of the Yale University Board of Trustees. His university experience also includes four years on the faculty of Oklahoma Baptist University, where he was chairman of the Department of Political Science and chairman of the Division of Social Sciences. In 1993, the American Association of University Professors presented Boren with the Henry Yost Award as Education Advocate of the Year.

In April 2004, Boren received the Mory’s Cup from the Mory’s Association at Yale University. In making the presentation to Boren it was noted that he was the first Yale graduate in the university’s history extending over three centuries to have served as a Governor, U.S. Senator and President of a major university.

Under Boren’s leadership, the University of Oklahoma has developed and emerged as a “pacesetter university in American public higher education,” with 20 major new programs initiated since his inauguration. They include establishment of the Honors College, the Charles M. Russell Center for the Study of Art of the American West, a new expository writing program for freshmen modeled

Above all, the Boren years have been marked by an emphasis on putting students first. There is not a university president in the country that is more committed to students as his number one priority. He teaches a freshman-level course in political science each semester and is one of the few presidents of major universities to teach.

Boren is married to Molly Shi Boren, a former judge and English teacher. Mrs. Boren is President Emeritus of the Oklahoma Arts Institute, which provides education programs in nine arts disciplines for high school students from across the state who are gifted in the arts. Molly Boren has two degrees from the University of Oklahoma, a master’s degree in English and a Juris Doctorate from the OU College of Law. A native of Seminole, Boren has two children, Carrie Christine Boren, an Episcopal minister, and David Daniel Boren, a member of the United States Congress from Oklahoma.

Devoting much of his life to public service, Boren drew from the example of his parents, the late Congressman Lyle H. Boren and Christine Boren.

DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS JOE CASTIGLIONE

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rinciple Centered Leader …Visionary ... Passionate Advocate for Student-Athletes ... Establishes Standards of Excellence & Cultural Values ... Builder of Championship Programs The success of the University of Oklahoma Athletics Department is known throughout the world of intercollegiate athletics. The last decade may stand as one of the most successful in school history and leading that effort is Joe Castiglione, the Sooner AD since 1998.

Castiglione’s Sooner team has worked to create a place where competitive dreams come true and academic goals are reached with regularity. Excellence is the norm at OU, and the Sooners’ sports programs, student-athletes, coaches and staff are committed to that standard.

For Castiglione, though, it’s not just about the championships and trophies. The victories that he celebrates with his Sooners include graduation rates that continue to climb, record-setting grade point averages and academic honors. The true measure of achievement for Castiglione and, by extension, the department’s coaches and staff, is measured in the success of the student-athletes in relation to the department’s mission statement “Inspiring champions today … Preparing leaders for tomorrow” With the support of OU President David L. Boren and OU’s sevenmember Board of Regents, Castiglione has gone about creating a climate that creates lofty goals, high standards and a commitment to ethical behavior that is second to none.

Since arriving at OU in 1998 after an outstanding career at Missouri, Castiglione has seen the Sooners finish in the top 30 of the Learfield Director’s Cup in nine of the last 11 years. Through his insistence that daily and long-term decisions be made in a financially responsible manner, the department has closed the books in the black in each of the last 11 years. In 2009, the department increased its direct support of the academic mission of the University by increasing its annual commitment to $4 million dollars. Through direct and indirect support, OU Athletics, under Castiglione’s leadership, provides more than $7 million to OU Academics.

The 11th director of athletics in University of Oklahoma history, Castiglione is quick to give full credit to the student-athletes and coaches, the staff, OU President David L. Boren, the OU Board of

Regents, the donors and the fans for the success experienced during his tenure. It was that commitment to a team approach emphasis that was one of the many qualities that that the search committee recognized when they recommended Castiglione to university administration in 1998.

In recognition of the performance of OU’s teams on the field and in the classroom, of the fiscal stability created during his tenure, the dramatic increases in donor giving, facility construction and renovations, and the cutting-edge programs that the department has begun during his tenure, Castiglione was named Athletic Director of the Year in May 2009 by the Sports Business Journal.

That award was one of several earned by Castiglione and the department. The 2007 PRISM Award winner, presented by the School of Sports Management at the University of Massachusetts, OU was just the second Division I winner and all of the programs recognized by the selection panel were started under Castiglione’s leadership with the full support of university administration.

His peers have honored him for the department’s achievements as well. In October 2004, the Bobby Dodd Foundation named him Athletics Director of the Year. In 2003, he was inducted into the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators Hall of Fame. In June 2001, he received the General Robert R. Neyland Athletic Director Award for lifetime achievement from the All-American Football Foundation. The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) named him Central Region AD of the Year in 2000.

The achievement that may bring him the most pride, though, came in May 2007 when he completed his master’s of education degree from OU. To understand the need for education and lifelong learning, OU’s student-athletes just have to look at their AD who started and completed his master’s degree while running the department and maintaining his priorities to his family. He quickly put his experience to use as an adjunct professor in the College of Education, teaching a graduate class in Marketing & Development.

In his tenure, OU has celebrated seven national team championships and more than 40 conference team titles; record numbers of graduating student-athletes and record-setting grade point averages for Sooner teams; dramatically increased donor giving; huge increases in ticket sales for all sports; major facility improvements, and development and construction of new facilities.

Castiglione was instrumental in the athletics department’s major campaign, Great Expectations: The Campaign For Sooner Sports.

The campaign ended in November of 2003 with more than $125 million raised. The figure has grown to almost $200 million since then as funds continue to be raised for facility improvements and scholarship endowments. The largest fund-raising effort in OU athletics history includes projects that impact each of OU’s nearly 500 student-athletes and has become a national model for intercollegiate athletics.

Joe Castiglione and Family

Hired on April 30, 1998, Castiglione joined the Sooner family after serving as athletics director at Missouri. In his 17-year career with the Tigers, Castiglione, who was named director of athletics at Missouri on Dec. 15, 1993, was credited with rebuilding sports programs, hiring outstanding coaches, implementing an innovative master plan for facilities, inspiring record-setting increases in fund-raising and balancing the budget in each of his five years as athletics director.

A 1979 Maryland graduate, Castiglione received the University’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in April 2007. He began his career as the sports promotions director at Rice. He then worked a year as director of athletic fund-raising at Georgetown before being hired in 1981 at Missouri as director of communications and marketing.

His commitment to the success of student-athletes has gone beyond the Norman campus and he has served at national and conference level. He chairs the NCAA’s Football Academic Progress Rate (APR) Working Group and is currently serving on the Gatorade Collegiate Advisory Board and the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame Board of Directors. He served two terms as chair of the Big 12 Board of Athletics Directors and is a past president of both the Division I-A Athletic Directors Association and NACDA. He served a four-year term on the NCAA Championship/Competition Cabinet and the NCAA Baseball Committee and is a past member of the NCAA Football Special Events Certification Committee. He recently served on the NCAA Diversity Leadership Strategic Planning Committee and the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Discussion Group. A member of the Phi Delta Theta Foundation Board of Trustees, he is a highly requested speaker at annual conventions and continuing education institutes.

A native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Castiglione is married to the former Kristen Bartel, a 1990 graduate of the University of Missouri. They are the parents of two sons, Joseph Robert, Jr. and Jonathan Edmund.

Bob Stoops and Joe Castiglione

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FACILITY INFORMATION

The Boathouse District on the Oklahoma River Rendering courtesy of Elliott + Associates Architects

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FACILITY INFORMATION

High Peformance Training Facility Rowing is certainly becoming a popular sport in Oklahoma with the addition of the first women’s rowing team at OU and the new home of the USRowing National High Performance Center.

USRowing is partnering with the Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation and Oklahoma City University to launch a USRowing National High Performance Center on the Oklahoma River.

The USRowing High Performance Center will include a year-round residency program for pre-elite male and female athletes. The program will also be working with the Oklahoma City business community to provide job and internship opportunities for athletes, and the Chesapeake Boathouse will have coaching positions available.

The Under-23 program began with 8-12 athletes in residence in August 2009, with projected growth to more than 20 athletes over the next two years.

The National High Performance Center will be the first of its kind for USRowing. The center will focus on training the next generation of world-class rowers with an emphasis on athletes under 23 years of age. Oklahoma City also will be developed as a national center for coaching education for USRowing.

The High Performance Center will incorporate all aspects of elite athlete training with intensive coaching, sports nutrition, strength and cardiovascular conditioning, sports psychology and sports medicine, including sport-specific biometrics, injury prevention and rehabilitation.

The High Performance Center began operations in November at the Chesapeake Boathouse and will eventually be headquartered in the new Devon Boathouse scheduled to open in May 2010. High Performance Center programming will be incorporated throughout all of the new boathouses slated for construction on the Oklahoma River.

In addition to the Under-23 program, the High Performance Center will host senior and junior national team selection camps, elite training camps and training opportunities for international athletes.

The new OU boathouse, currently in the planning stages, will be built near the new National Training Center and Sooner rowers willl continue to train in facilities shared by the future national team athletes. The exposure to the best in the country will provide limitless opportunities for the OU rowers.

High Performance Training Center

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FACILITY INFORMATION

Chesapeake Boathouse

New Boathouse and On-Campus Facility A commitment to excellence like the one made by the University of Oklahoma Athletics Department requires a promise to provide the best facilities possible for each of its student-athletes. For the Sooner rowing program, those facilities stretch from an on-campus workout facility to the rowing practice facility on the Oklahoma River in downtown Oklahoma City to the plans to build a state-of-the art OU Boathouse on the river.

In 2007, Oklahoma City business leader, Aubrey McClendon pledged $1 million toward the construction of OU’s new boathouse, which will be built along the Oklahoma River. The multimillion dollar facility is being designed by the visionary architect Rand Elliot, Elliot + Associates. OU’s new boathouse will feature three boat bays, a repair bay, erg room, team locker room, event space, sports medicine facilities, and coaches’ offices.

The Sooners will occupy the Chesapeake and Exchange Boathouses until OU’s new facility is completed.

Exchange Boathouse

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Additionally, there are plans for a complete on-campus rowing facility that will include a rowing tank, erg room, locker room, sports medicine, hydrotherapy, equipment room, team room and coaches’ offices.

In Norman, Sooner rowers have access to their own erg room on campus.

When weather conditions or schedules require workout time away from the river, the on-campus erg room helps the student-athletes balance practice, classroom and study time while providing for a quality off-the-water workout. The erg room, located at the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, is within the same facility as the Henry J. Freede Sports Medicine Facility, the Siegfried Family Strength and Conditioning Facility and the Prentice Gautt Student-Athletic Academic Center. The complex of facilities gives the Sooner rowers a one-stop option for creating excellence in competition and the classroom.

ATHLETICS ADMINISTRATION LARRY NAIFEH

LUTHER LEE

Executive Associate Athletics Director

Assistant AD for Business

DR. GERALD GURNEY

DR. NICKI MOORE

Senior Associate AD for Academics and Student Life

Assistant AD for Psychological Services

JASON LEONARD

MATT ROBERTS

Executive Director of Compliance

Assistant AD for Development

KENNY MOSSMAN

CHARLIE TAYLOR

Senior Associate AD for Communications

Assistant AD for Marketing

GLORIA NEVAREZ

GREG TIPTON

Senior Associate AD/ Senior Woman Administrator

Assistant AD / Lloyd Noble Center General Manager

GREG PHILLIPS

MERV JOHNSON

Senior Associate AD/Chief Financial Officer

Special Assistant to the Athletics Director

BILLY RAY JOHNSON Associate AD for Ticket Operations

JOE WASHINGTON Executive Director, Varsity O Association/Special Assistant to the Athletics Director

CONNIE DILLON Faculty Athletics Representative

OU ATHLETICS PHONE DIRECTORY Unless otherwise noted, numbers are (405) 325 + four-digit extension Academics & Student Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8265 Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8200 Baseball. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8354 Basketball, Men’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4732 Basketball, Women’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8322 Business & Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8440 Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8561 24 Hour Hotline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6479 Development & Sooner Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8000 Toll Free. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (866) 766-6372 Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8379 Events & Operations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8235 Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8290 Football . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2345 Graphic Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8223 Golf, Men’s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8342 Golf, Women’s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8343 Gymnastics, Men’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8341 Gymnastics, Women’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8333 Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7811

Athletics Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8231 Medical Training. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8332 O-Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8224 Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8367 Soccer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8296 Softball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8361 SoonerSports.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4274 Sooner Sports Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2148 SoonerVision. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8261 Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8366 Strength & Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8330 Tennis, Men’s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8362 Tennis, Women’s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8325 Ticket Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2424 Toll Free. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (800) 456-4668 Track & Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8361 Volleyball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8364 Wrestling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8209

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OU HEAD COACHES SUNNY GOLLOWAY

JEFF CAPEL

Baseball - Sixth Year

Men’s Basketball - Fourth Year

SHERRI COALE

MARTIN SMITH

Women’s Basketball - 14th Year

Cross Country/Track & Field - Fifth Year

BOB STOOPS

RYAN HYBL

Football - 11th Year

Men’s Golf - First Year

VERONIQUE DROUIN

MARK WILLIAMS

Women’s Golf - First Year

Men’s Gymnastics - 11th Year

K.J. KINDLER

LEEANNE CRAIN

Women’s Gymnastics - Fourth Year

Women’s Rowing - Second Year

NICOLE NELSON

PATTY GASSO

Soccer - Second Year

Softball - 16th Year

JOHN RODDICK

DAVID MULLINS

Men’s Tennis - First Year

Women’s Tennis - Second Year

SANTIAGO RESTREPO

JACK SPATES

Volleyball - Sixth Year

Wrestling - 17th Year

OU ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT The mission of the University of Oklahoma Athletics Department is to inspire champions today and prepare leaders for tomorrow by providing an excellent environment to enable student-athletes to achieve their highest academic, athletic and personal aspirations.

Philosophy The University of Oklahoma Athletics Department promotes excellence in athletics without compromising excellence in academics or integrity in its commitment to rules or conduct. Student-athletes are encouraged by the coaching and administrative staff to maintain a balance between athletics, academics, and the social aspects of college.

Core Values • Respect • Accountability for Self & Others • Passion for Comprehensive Excellence • Commitment to Continuous Improvement • Celebration of Diversity • Integrity in All of Our Affairs

It is believed that athletic participation gives an added dimension to the student’s overall college experience and provides an opportunity for social, moral, emotional, and cultural growth and development.

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The athletic programs strive to create traits that once acquired will carry over and benefit student-athletes in their personal and professional endeavors. The University of Oklahoma maintains a tradition of excellence in intercollegiate sports.

The Athletics Department continues to uphold this tradition by striving to make each athletic team and individual of championship caliber. Its staff members work to instill in student-athletes an appreciation for hard work, perseverance, and pride in accomplishment. It is believed these attributes will be utilized throughout the student-athlete’s life.

COACHING STAFF

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HEAD COACH LEEANNE CRAIN Coming to OU...

“Building a program from the ground up at a premier Division I institution is a unique opportunity. To be a part of an athletics department with such a rich tradition of excellence is an incredible experience. Once I stepped on campus, I knew I wanted to be a Sooner.”

Building a Tradition...

“Our primary goal is to establish the expectations and culture that will guide us in future years as we strive to develop a winning tradition in our sport. We hope to attract the most talented prospects in the country and abroad so that we can quickly become a national powerhouse in rowing.”

Coaching Style...

‘My coaching idol is the legendary John Wooden. I’ve had a lot of great coaches in my time, and I think I’ve learned something from each of them. My own style is pretty laid-back, but I’m very competitive. I do my best to draw that competitive nature out in the student-athletes I coach. I believe balance is the key to success, and I see it as my responsibility to educate my teams on the importance of excelling in all areas of their lives – in the classroom, on the water and in their personal lives. I want them to be prepared and ready for success at all times.”

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n the inaugural season, head coach Leeanne Crain launched the program with high expectations in order to set a standard of excellence for the Oklahoma rowing program.

The team impressed throughout the 2009 season with 14 finishes in the top three, including two first place finishes at the Big 12 Championship and four Grand Final appearances. Crain’s team also placed 25 rowers on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll in the fall, 23 in the spring and two were named Scholar-Athletes by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association.

In addition to the team’s success, Oklahoma signed nine athletes to its first class including standout rower Rebecca Staff from Tempe, Ariz., who won the 2009 Canadian Junior National Team trials in the 1x.

When Athletics Director Joe Castiglione announced the hiring of Crain in February 2008, he cited her credentials and experience, and the opportunity for the rowing program to make history at OU. “Leeanne’s credentials and experience are indeed impressive. Moreover, hiring someone as highly regarded as Leeanne highlights the special opportunities we have to build a championship caliber program here at Oklahoma. We are excited to welcome her to the Sooner family and anxious to work with her at this exciting time in rowing’s history at OU,” said Castiglione.

Castiglione’s statement held true in her first season at the helm, as Crain put the Oklahoma rowing program on the map as an up and coming power in collegiate rowing.

Prior to Oklahoma, Crain spent four seasons as head coach at the University of Central Florida, following a 10-year stint as head coach at the University of San Diego.

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At UCF, Crain developed the Knights into one of the nation’s premier programs. During her four seasons, UCF rowers earned all-America honors twice and all-region honors seven times.

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Coach Crain at practice with the Sooners

The Crain File EDUCATION • UCLA (Bachelor of Arts in psychology, 1988) COACHING EXPERIENCE 2008-present Oklahoma Head Coach 2003-08 Central Florida Head Coach 1993-2003 San Diego Head Coach 1990-91 UCLA Assistant Coach ROWING EXPERIENCE 1988, 1990 U.S. National Team 1985-88 UCLA ACCOMPLISHMENTS • First Place at Big 12 Championship (Oklahoma Varsity Four) • 2007 NCAA Championship Appearance (UCF) • 2006 No. 2 NCAA Regional Ranking - I Eight (UCF) • Seven CRCA Division I All-Region Selections (UCF) • Two CRCA Division I All-Americans (UCF) • 2005-07, Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Team Champion (UCF) • 2005, 2006 Florida State Championship Team Overall Points Champion (UCF) • 1997, 2003 West Coast Conference Coach of the Year (USD) • 15 WCC All-Conference Selections (USD) • Two Division I All-Region Selections (USD) • Two Division I All-Americans (USD)

A total of 20 Knights earned CRCA National ScholarAthlete recognition, including a nation-leading seven honorees in 2006.

Her 2006-07 team recorded the best season in UCF history, opening the season with nine consecutive victories and earning the school’s first NCAA Championship berth. The squad also claimed the overall trophy at the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association (SIRA) Championships and earned UCF’s highest all-time national ranking (No. 9) in the USRowing CRCA Coaches Poll.

Crain’s 2005-06 varsity eight team earned the program’s first top-20 ranking in the USRowing/ CRCA Coaches Poll and claimed the team’s ninth Florida Intercollegiate Rowing Association (FIRA) Championship while finishing fourth in its region at the South/Central Regional Championships.

The Knights also produced the program’s first AllAmerican in Krystina Sarff.

During the 2004-05 season, Crain’s team received its first ranking in the NCAA South Region poll, won the Petrakis Cup and Metro Cup regattas and won the overall points trophies at the Florida Intercollegiate Rowing Association and the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships.

In her first season at the helm, UCF’s varsity eight team earned the silver medal at both the FIRA and SIRA Championships, while the lightweight eight finished third at the San Diego Crew Classic and advanced to the finals of the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship.

Not only were Crain’s team successful in the competitive realm, they were strong academically.

Women’s rowing had the highest grade point average of all 17 teams at UCF in 2006 (3.31 avg.).

In the fall of 2007, five of the team members carried 4.0 GPAs,14 were on the Dean’s List and 33 of the 44 listed on the varsity roster made Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.

Prior to her arrival at UCF, Crain spent 10 seasons as head coach at the University of San Diego where she was named West Coast Conference Coach of the Year in 1997 and 2003. While at USD, she coached two all-Americans and had two rowers named to the CRCA All-Region team.

Her student-athletes accounted for 15 All-WCC honors and six Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association all-conference honors. In addition, 16 earned WCC All-Academic distinction, 13 received CRCA National Scholar-Athlete recognition and two were named All-Americans by the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

At USD, Crain coached 2004 Olympic silver medalist Ali Cox, a four-time U.S. National Team member who competed in the women’s eight at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

Crain began her coaching career in 1990 as an assistant coach at UCLA, helping the Bruins to a Pac-10 title. She joined the UCLA coaching staff after an outstanding four-year career as a member of the Bruins’ varsity team from 1985-88.

As a senior, Crain was named team captain and was selected to the Pac-10 All-Conference team. A two-time member of the U.S. National Team, she won a gold medal in the women’s four at the 1988 Cadbury International Regatta in Australia and was a grand finalist in the women’s pair at the 1990 World Championship Trials. Crain narrowly missed a spot in the U.S. Women’s eight that went on to win a silver medal at the 1990 World Championships in Tasmania, Australia.

An active member of the rowing community, Crain served on the NCAA Rowing Committee from 2001-05, and has been chair of both the NCAA West (2001-03) and South (2003-05) Regional Advisory committees. She also served as vice president of the FIRA from 2003-04, the WIRA Board of Stewards from 2002-03, and the SIRA Board of Directors from 2003-07.

Crain earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from UCLA in 1988. She received her Level III USRowing Coaching Certification in 2001.

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ASSISTANT COACHES MARINA TRAUB

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ssistant Coach Marina Traub joined the OU women's rowing staff in August, coming from the University of Alabama where she spent three seasons as an assistant coach, overseeing the Crimson Tide's novice squad and recruiting efforts.

The addition of Traub brings a great degree of experience and commitment to an already gifted staff.

COACHING EXPERIENCE • 2009-present, Oklahoma Assistant Coach/ Recruiting Coordinator • 2006-09, Alabama Assistant Coach/ Recruiting Coordinator • 2004-06, Trinity College Head Coach • 2004, Wisconsin Interim Associate Head Coach • 2002-04, Wisconsin Novice Coach • 2001-02, California Assistant Coach • Advanced USRowing Coaching Certification

“ I have been blessed to row for and coach with some fantastic people and I pay attention to what works and what doesn’t,” said Traub. “The rowing community is a very generous one and there’s a great deal to be learned if you surround yourself with the best. In coming to work for Coach Crain, I believe I am doing that. I think her leadership and talent, combined with my passion for the female student-athlete experience, is going to yield a lot of success here. I’m honored to be a part of the Sooner family.”

During her time at Alabama, the novice squads enjoyed outstanding success in their first three seasons, faring well against established programs.

In 2008, the Tide’s novice eight made it to the grand finals of the Dad Vail College Championships. Last season, she coached her novice eight to a first-place finish at the SIRA Championships.

Before Alabama, Traub spent two years as head coach at Trinity College where she led her squads to a pair of topthree finishes at the NCAA Division III Championships. In 2005, the Trinity varsity won the Collegiate Eight at the Head of the Charles and the Varsity Eight at the NCAA Championships. For her efforts, she was named the 2005 CRCA DIII Coach of the Year and received the College Coach of the Year award from the Joy of Sculling Coaches’ Conference.

Prior to Trinity, she was at the University of Wisconsin, where she coached the novice squad before serving as interim associate head coach in her last season with the Badgers. Under her direction at Wisconsin, her squads won three Big Ten Championships and received the teams first NCAA bid in five years.

She started her collegiate coaching career at the University of California, where she served as the varsity assistant coach. She worked primarily with the varsity fours, which culminated in a first-place finish at Pac-10s.

The team finished third at the 2002 NCAA Championships.

COACHING ACCOMPLISHMENTS • 2009, SIRA Champion, Novice Eight at Alabama • 2005, ECAC and NCAA Champion Varsity Eight at Trinity • 2005, CRCA Division III Coach of the Year • 2005, Recipient of the Joy of Sculling Coaches’ Conference College Award • 2003 and 2004, Won Three Big 10 Championships in First and Second Novice Eight, Wisconsin • 2003, Eastern Sprints Champion Second Novice Eight, Wisconsin • 2002, Pac-10 Champion Varsity Four, CalBerkeley • 2002, NCAA Third Place Team, Cal-Berkeley

A 2000 University of Virginia graduate with an American politics degree, Traub was a four-year letterwinner and helped the Cavaliers to four straight NCAA Championship appearances.

ROWING EXPERIENCE • 1996-00, University of Virginia • 1997, NCAA Championships Fourth Place Team • 1998, NCAA Championships Third Place Team • 1999, NCAA Championships Second Place Team • 2000, NCAA Championships Third Place Team

Traub also has an advanced USRowing coaching certification.

EDUCATION • Bachelor’s in American politics, Virginia 2000

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“Her knowledge and passion for the sport is undeniable,” said Crain. “She has a proven track record with the teams she’s coached, and knows what it takes to build a nationally competitive Division I program. I know Marina will do a great job identifying and recruiting the nation’s top junior prospects to the University of Oklahoma.

Her energy and enthusiasm will be a great asset to our program and there’s no doubt that she will help us in our quest for winning championships.”

ASSISTANT COACHES ANDY DERRICK

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ovice coach Andy Derrick begins his second season with the Oklahoma rowing program after a successful season last year. For his efforts with the novice squad, Derrick was named the South Regional Assistant Coach of the Year by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association.

The novice teams recorded a first-place finish at the Big 12 Championship, a fifth-place finish in the Grand Finals at the San Diego Crew Classic, a second-place finish in the Grand Finals at the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Championships and an appearance in the Grand Finals at the NCAA South/Central Regionals.

Derrick also served as the Sooners’ first recruiting coordinator. In 2009, Oklahoma signed nine athletes to its first class, including standout rower Rebecca Staff from Tempe, Ariz., who won the 2009 Canadian Junior National Team trials in the 1x.

title and a national championship. Derrick went on to row five seat of the JV his sophomore year before sitting bow seat of the Varsity Eight back-to-back seasons as an upperclassman. In four years of conference racing, Derrick accumulated three Pac-10 Championships as well as a runner-up finish. Nationally, he won an IRA national championship as well as placing second twice and third once. Derrick was also named to the Pac-10 all-conference teams, both academically and athletically.

Between his sophomore and junior years, Derrick trained in the 2- with a fellow Husky teammate and traveled back east to the USRowing Club Nationals where the pair won two national championships as well as a fifth-place finish in their third event.

COACHING EXPERIENCE • 2008-present, Oklahoma Assistant Coach • 2006-08, University of Central Florida Assistant • USRowing Level III Coaching Certification

Prior to Oklahoma, Derrick was at the University of Central Florida as the novice coach under current OU head coach Leeanne Crain. In 2008, Derrick’s novice squad won a bronze medal at the South/Central Regionals, marking the first time in school history for a boat to medal in that event.

Internationally, Derrick represented the United States in 1999 and again in 2001 when he captured silver at the U-23 World Championships in Linz, Austria. In 2003, as bow seat of the national runner-up crew, Derrick and the Huskies traveled to England to celebrate Washington’s 100th year of rowing. The team won the prestigious Royal Henley Regatta, the oldest race in the world, tying a course record in the process.

COACHING ACCOMPLISHMENTS • First Place at Big 12 Championship (Oklahoma Novice Eight) • Grand Finals of San Diego Crew Classic and South/Central Regionals (Oklahoma Novice Eight) • Bronze Medal at South/Central Regional (UCF Novice Eight) • 2009 South Regional Assistant Coach of the Year

by CRCA

Previously, Derrick guided the UCF lightweight team to a season-high No. 5 national ranking in the spring and a gold medal at the 2006 Head of the Hooch the previous fall.

Derrick has both his bachelor’s (history) and master’s (intercollegiate athletic leadership) degrees from the University of Washington and is a USRowing Level III coach.

ROWING EXPERIENCE • 2000-04, University of Washington • 2001, U.S. National Team Member • 1999, Junior National Team Member

Before joining Coach Crain at UCF, Derrick worked for Pocock Racing Shells, one of the nation’s premier boat manufacturers, where he learned about the technical aspects of rowing.

While there, he also founded a partner company to Pocock that specializes in supplying equipment to teams that cannot afford new shells.

Derrick earned his bachelor’s in history at the University of Washington. In his first season as a Husky, Derrick was in the freshmen 8+ that went undefeated, winning both a Pac-10

ROWING ACCOMPLISHMENTS • 2001, FISA U-23 World Championship silver medalist • Henley Royal Regatta Champion • Three Pac-10 titles (Washington) • Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Champion EDUCATION • Bachelor’s in history, Washington 2004 • Master’s in intercollegiate athletic leadership, Washington

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GRADUATE ASSISTANT

MEGAN MITCHELL

H

ead Coach Leeanne Crain announced the appointment of Megan Mitchell as the program’s graduate assistant coach in July 2008.

“One of the greatest strengths of the staff is our shared vision for the future of rowing at OU,” Crain said. “Megan is committed to building a program that is highly competitive and one that produces athletes who are successful in all realms - from performance on the water to performance in the classroom.”

Mitchell is USRowing Level III certified and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in intercollegiate athletics administration at the University of Oklahoma. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in sports and fitness with a coaching minor from the University of Central Florida in 2007.

COACHING EXPERIENCE • 2008-present, University of Oklahoma (Graduate Assistant Coach) • 2007-08, University of Central Florida (Graduate Assistant Coach) • Summer 2006, Norwalk River Rowing Association Juniors and Masters Coach • 2005-06, Bishop Moore High School Novice Coach • Level III Coaching Certification from USRowing ROWING EXPERIENCE • 2004-07, University of Central Florida Varsity Lightweight Team • 2003-04, University of Central Florida Novice Team EDUCATION • University of Central Florida (BS in sports and fitness) • 2007-Present: UCF and OU (M.Ed. intercollegiate athletics administration)

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Mitchell began her coaching career as the men’s novice coach at Bishop Moore High School in Orlando, Fla., during the ‘05-06 seasons. She also coached juniors and masters at Norwalk River Rowing Association in Norwalk, Conn. They competed at the 2006 Royal Canadian Henley Regatta.

After completing her undergraduate career, Mitchell was hired as the graduate assistant coach at Central Florida in 2007 under Crain. In 2008, Mitchell transferred to Oklahoma to join Crain in building the Sooners’ varsity rowing program.

Prior to becoming a graduate assistant coach, Mitchell rowed on the lightweight team during her undergraduate career. As a senior, Mitchell served as captain of the fifth place nationally-ranked Lightweight 8+ in the ‘06-07 season and earned the Most Valuable Award for the lightweight team. From 2005-2007, Mitchell’s crew placed first among openweight crews in several local regattas and competed against nationally ranked lightweight teams. The Lightweight 8+ won the gold medal at the 2006 Pacific Coast Rowing Championships and ended the season with a fifth-place finish in the grand finals of the 2006 Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship.

Mitchell joined the rowing team as a walk-on sophomore in 2003. Prior to rowing for the University of Central Florida, Mitchell was a three-sport athlete in high school. She played second base and centerfield on the softball team, where her team went undefeated during her junior year. Mitchell also ran cross country and was on the weightlifting team, which won the conference and state championships during her senior year.

SUPPORT STAFF

CAMERON BROWN VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT COACH

AMY BREVICK VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT COACH

TEDDI DWYER VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT COACH

Amy Brevick is in her first season with the Oklahoma rowing team. Brevick graduated from Washington State University with a bachelor’s in sport management, business administration.

Teddi Dwyer joins the OU staff after lettering last season for the rowing team. She is currently working on her master’s degree in exercise physiology and is a research assistant at the Human Performance Laboratory of the Health and Exercise Science Department.

At WSU, Brevick rowed all four years, helping her team to a fourth-place finish at the 2006 NCAA Championships and an eighth-place finish at the 2008 NCAA Championships. Brevick also rowed with the Junior National Team and has a Level I coaching certification from USRowing.

Dwyer is doing a study on the rowing team to determine whether there are any good physiological predictors of the 2,000 meter trial.

NANCY DERRICK STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING

JAMIE LILES STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING

A 2005 honors graduate of Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Morgan Donley is in her second season with the women’s rowing program. She earned a bachelor’s degree in athletic training and a minor in allied health administration.

Nancy Derrick is in her second season at OU and works directly with softball, volleyball and rowing. Previously, she was a assistant strength coach at the University of Louisiana-Monroe (2006-08) and a graduate assistant at Auburn (2004-06).

Jamie Liles came to OU as a graduate assistant in January 2009. She works as a strength and conditioning coach with the novice rowers and women’s tennis teams. Liles also assists with the varsity rowers as well as softball, volleyball and soccer.

In 2006, Donley earned her NATABOC certification and an Oklahoma medical licensure. In August 2007, Donley began a graduate assistantship at OU. She is currently working on dual master’s degrees in intercollegiate athletic administration and human relations.

Derrick received a bachelor’s in science and health promotion in 2004 and a master’s degree in exercise physiology from Auburn. Derrick was a member of the Auburn women’s basketball team for four years.

Liles attended the University of Louisiana-Monroe, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in exercise science. She was a four-year letterwinner at first base and designated player for the Warhawks’ softball team.

Cameron Brown joins the Oklahoma staff as a volunteer assistant coach. Brown currently serves as a strength and conditioning coach for the USRowing High Performance team based in Oklahoma City, and has held positions with the St. Louis Cardinals AAA squad and the Aspen Rugby Club.

Brown served as a coach of the Australian women’s U19 8+, which won the Australian National Championship, the head coach at St. Peter’s Lutheran College and an assistant coach at Toowong Rowing Club in Australia.

Brown received his bachelor’s degree in human movement studies and a master’s of sports coaching from the University of Queensland in Australia.

MORGAN DONLEY ATHLETIC TRAINER

As a student-athlete, Dwyer competed with the Varsity Four that placed first at the Big 12 Championship and advanced to the Grand Finals at the NCAA South/Central Regionals. She was also a member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and was selected a 2009 National Scholar-Athlete by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association.

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SUPPORT STAFF

DESIREE TAYLOR ACADEMIC ADVISOR

AMBER CARGILL PROS

Desiree Taylor is in her second year as an athletic academic advisor. Taylor works with women’s rowing, women’s soccer and softball.

Dr. Amber Cargill is in her first year with the rowing program. Dr. Cargill completed her Ph.D. in clinical psychology with a concentration in sport psychology from Rutgers University. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for her bachelor’s degree.

Taylor received her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and master’s of business administration from the University of Oklahoma. Taylor played for the OU women’s basketball team from 1997-2001.

At OU, Dr. Cargill is responsible for providing counseling, assessment and sport psychology services to OU student-athletes, teams and coaches.

RYAN LAWRENCE EQUIPMENT MANAGER

Ryan Lawrence joins the Oklahoma rowing program as an assistant director of equipment operations.

Lawrence is responsible for all equipment and apparel ordering, distribution and storing for the women’s basketball and women’s rowing teams. He also works closely with Nike, the official apparel supplier of Oklahoma Athletics. Additionally, Lawrence oversees the undergraduate manager staff for those sports.

At Navy, Lawrence was in charge of both the men’s and women’s basketball teams. Prior to Navy, he was a manager for the Washington State women’s basketball program for three seasons, where he graduated with a degree in sport management.

LOR KEMMET MARKETING

SHELLEY HARMON ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Jennifer Van Tuyl is a senior majoring in public relations. This is her second year as an intern for OU athletics communications and she was previously a student assistant for men’s basketball.

Lori Kemmet in her 15th year as the Sooners’ pom coach and ninth year as the coordinator for all spirit groups at the University of Oklahoma. She was a member and captain of the OU pom squad from 1987-1990.

Shelley Harmon is in her 19th year with the OU athletics department and second year with the rowing team. In addition to rowing, Harmon provides clerical support to nine other sports teams. In that role, she handles correspondence for all the coaches, interacts with other department staff on behalf of the teams and performs other duties as needed.

In 2009, Van Tuyl received the Zenith Award for public relations writing and a second place CoSIDA award for her piece on Olympic silver medalist Jonathan Horton, “Sooner Legend and Olympic Hero.”

Kemmet holds a bachelor’s in Spanish from OU and a master’s in Spanish literature from the University of Kansas. In addition to her work as the spirit coordinator, Kemmet is a member of the athletics marketing team.

JENNIFER VAN TUYL COMMUNICATIONS

A native of Stroud, Okla., Van Tuyl is the daughter of Mary Kay and Joe Van Tuyl.

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For Harmon, though, her dedication to OU athletics and its student-athletes goes beyond the usual job duties. Last fall, she led the effort among her co-workers to raise the money to place a bench near the McCasland Field House in memory of Javier Restrepo, youngest son of Sooner volleyball coach Santiago Restrepo and his wife, Heidi. Known as Javi by all, the child died last summer after a courageous battle with leukemia.

Harmon and her husband, Mike, have been married for 36 years and have two children, Amy (32) and Jason (29). A gifted artist, Harmon’s cross stitch and embroidery are popular gifts for the children of department employees and she is most willing to be an on-site “grandparent” for the coaches’ children.

MEET THE TEAM

VARSITY HALEY Y BROWN

SAM M FAHED

ALEX AL EX EX, X, OKLA..

ALEX X HS SO OPH HOMOR RE COXS CO OXS XS SWA WAIN WA IN

LO ONG NGWO W OD, FL WO L A. LAKE LAK LA KE MAR A Y HS RS SOP OPHOMO ORE PO ORT RT/S RT/S /STA STA T RB RBOA OARD

Spring 2009: Advanced to the “B” Final at the SIRA Championships in Second Novice Eight ... Placed second at the Big 12 Championship in Second Novice Eight ...

Advanced to the “C” Final at the NCAA South/ Central Regional.

Fall 2008: Member of Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll ... Placed seventh in Second Novice Eight at Head of Colorado and fifth in First Novice Eight at Head of the Hooch.

High School: Participated in softball and korfball during a 10-month exchange in Germany ... A Blue Ribbon Scholar and Bundesty Youth Exchange recipient in 2007 ... A Girl’s State Representative.

Spring 2009: Did not compete.

At Central Florida: Placed Third Novice Eight at South/Central NCAA Regional at UCF ... Dual wins in Novice Eight over Texas, Oregon State, Stanford and Miami.

High School: Participated in lacrosse and weightlifting in high school ... Member of the honor roll all four years of high school.

Personal: Parents are Clara and Sam Fahed ... Has three siblings: Sydney, Shelby and Savannah ... Psychology major.

Personal: Full name is Haley Elizabeth Brown ... Parents are Shelly and Ken Brown ...

Has four siblings: Brad, Jeremy, Phillip and Tiffany ... Journalism major.

“When I visited OU, I found a great sense of school spirit, high academic standards and deep athletic success. The coaching staff was very personable and the team was extremely welcoming. It was very clear that everyone was excited about the addition of the rowing team at OU and committed to a successful program.”

Nicole Furmanek 46

VARSITY MEGHA AN FARRELL

NICOL LE FURMANEK

PH HOENI OENI N X, ARI ARIZ. IZ Z..

CH CHAP HAP A PA ARR RRAL AL L HS FR RES ESHMAN ESH HMAN N ST STAR TAR RBO BOAR A D ARD

BE ELL LLEV EV VILLE, IL LL L..

ATHL AT HL HLOF LOF OFF CA CATH THOL OLIC OL IC C HS SO OPH PHO HOMOR OMOR ORE OR RE STAR STA ST ARBOAR ARBO AR ARD D

High School: Member of the Tempe Junior Crew for two years ... Team captain 2008-09 ... Named Novice of the Year 2007-08 ... Placed sixth at Youth Nationals in Varsity Double in 2008 ... Placed fifth at Youth Nationals in Varsity Quad in 2009 ... Placed first at Club Nationals in Varsity Quad in 2009 ... Placed first at Club Nationals in Varsity Double in 2009 ... Placed third at Club Nationals in Varsity Single.

Personal: Full name is Meghan Elizabeth Farrell ... Parents are Echo and Bob Farrell ...

Has one sibling, Maddie ... Health and exercise science major.

At Murray State University: Placed second at the Head of the Hooch ... Placed third at SIRAs. High School: Participated in swimming, soccer and basketball ... Captain of swim team ... Given the Joe Dressler Sportsmanship-Citizen award, Young Woman of Achievement award for community service and the Rotary Club Service award ... State runner-up in soccer in 2008 ... Member of the honor roll.

Personal: Parents are Celeste and Phil Furmanek ... Has two siblings, Erin and Erik ...

Grandfather, Ray Sonnemberg, played basketball for St. Louis University ...

Elementary education major.

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VARSITY MONIQ QUE GAINES ES

ALLY Y GRAY

MUSK MUSK SKOG OG GEE, OK KLA LA. MUSKOG MUS MU OGEE E HS SE ENIOR ST STA TAR ARBO ARBO B AR ARD D

VALR VA LR RIC I O, FLA LA A. BLO BL OO NGDA OOMING OO DA ALE E HS RS SOP OPHOMO ORE STAR STAR ST ARBO AR RBOAR BOARD D

Spring 2009: Recorded regular season wins over Texas and Iowa with First Novice Eight ... Advanced to the Grand Finals as the only non-Pac 10 team at the San Diego Crew Classic in First Novice Eight ... Advanced to the “B” Final at the SIRA Championships in Varsity Eight ... Won the First Novice Eight race at the Big 12 Championships ... Advanced to the Grand Finals at the NCAA South/ Central Regional in First Novice Eight.

Fall 2008: Placed ninth at Head of the Hooch and seventh at Head of Colorado in Novice Eight.

High School: Participated in basketball, track and field and fastpitch softball in high school ... Member of Oklahoma Honor Society and National Honor Society ...

Graduated summa cum laude ... Nominee for National Leadership Forum in medicine ... USAA National English Merit Award recipient.

Spring 2009: Did not compete.

At Central Florida: Was a member of the First Novice Eight that went 38-4 during the season ...

Won duals over Texas, Virginia, Michigan State, UCLA, Washington State, Stanford and Miami ... Won a bronze medal at the South/Central NCAA Regionals, becoming the first medaling crew in UCF novice program history.

Personal: Full name is Alexandra Nicole Gray ... Parents are Ellen Toon and Gary Gray ...

Has two siblings, Michael and Grant ... Member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll ... Economics and psychology major.

Personal: Full name is Monique LaShawn Gaines ... Parents are Marvin and Walter Mae Gaines ... Has six siblings: Miesha, Monica, Marvin, Darnell, Keyonna and Dominique ... Executive Vice President of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars ... President of Sigma Lamda Gamma ... Member of the Dean’s Leadership Council ... Brother Darnell played basketball at Northeastern State ...

Twin brother Dominique plays basketball at Northeastern State ... Industrial engineering major and Spanish minor.

“I was really impressed with all of Coach Crain’s accomplishments. I wanted to row for Oklahoma to be one of the building blocks of the program. While I’m here, I hope to make it to NCAAs and make a difference in the future of this program.”

Meghan Farrell 48

VARSITY MEAGA AN HARRELL

AMAND DA HOFFMAN

NORF NO ORF FOL OLK, VA. A..

GREA GR REA EAT T BR RID IDG IDGE GE H GE HS S SE ENIOR R STA ST STAR TAR ARBOAR ARBO ARD D

DU UNE EDI D N, N FLA LA. A. DUNEDI DU DIN N HS RS SOP OPH PHOMO MORE MO E COXS CO XSWA WAIN I

Spring 2009: Regular season wins over Iowa, Central Florida, San Diego State and University of San Diego in Varsity Four... Won the Varsity Four race at the Big 12 Championship ... Advanced to the Grand Finals at the NCAA South/Central Regionals in Varsity Four ... Advanced to the “B” Final in Varsity Eight at the SIRA Championships.

Fall 2008: Member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll ... Placed third at Head of Colorado in Varsity Four.

At Central Florida: Recorded four straight wins against Iowa, Kansas State, Duke and Texas in the 2005-06 season as a freshman at Central Florida ... Placed first at the Petrakis Cup, won the Second Varsity Eight at SIRA Championship ... Stroked Varsity Eight at Head of Oklahoma to a fifth-place finish before taking medical hardship the rest of the year with a wrist injury as a UCF sophomore.

Spring 2009: Did not compete.

At Central Florida: Was a member of First Novice Eight that went 38-4 during the season ... Won duals over Texas, Virginia, Michigan State, UCLA, Washington State, Stanford and Miami ... Won a bronze medal at the South/Central NCAA Regionals.

Personal: Parents are Christine and Bob Hoffman ... Member of Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll ... Geographic information sciences major with a minor in broadcasting.

Personal: Parents are Lori and Bob Harrell ... Has three siblings: Chris, Jeff and Parker ...

Environmental sciences major.

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VARSITY BROOK KE HOLLEMAN

BROOK KE HOMER

ED DMO MOND M N , OK ND OKLA KLA LA. A. HERI HE ERI RIT TAGE GE E HAL ALL L HS FRES FR RES ESHMAN AN N PO ORT/S RT T/S / TARB /STA T RBOA TA RBOARD

MU UST STAN ANG AN G, OKL KL LA A..

MUSTAN MU ANG HS SO OPH PHO HOMOR OMOR ORE OR RE PO ORT RT/S RT/ T/STA //S STARB T RBOA TA RBOARD

High School: Member of the Chesapeake Junior Crew for three years ... Placed third at Head of the Hooch in Women’s Four in 2007 ... U.S. Rowing National Champions in Women’s Pair and Quad in 2008 ... Participated in volleyball and soccer ...

State champions in volleyball 2005 and 2006 ... State runner-up in soccer in 2005 ... Played club volleyball for five year with Oklahoma Peak Performance Volleyball Club ... Placed fifth at Junior Nationals in 2006 with volleyball club team ... Was a Heritage Hall Merit Scholar ... Member of the National Honor Society and National French Honor Society ... Member of the Cum Laude Society.

Personal: Full name is Brooke Elizabeth Holleman ... Parents are Stacey and Bill Holleman ... Has two siblings, Brett and Michael ... Cousin, Zac Reynolds, was a member of the Oklahoma State golf team ... Cousin, Kaitlyn Youtz, was a swimmer at UC Santa Cruz ... Mother, Stacey, played softball and volleyball at Oklahoma Baptist University ... European studies major.

Spring 2009: Advanced to the “B” Final at the SIRA Championships in Second Novice Eight ... Placed second at the Big 12 Championship in Second Novice Eight ...

Advanced to the “C” Final at the NCAA South/ Central Regional.

Fall 2008: Member of Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll ... Placed second in Third Novice Eight in Novice-2 event at Head of Colorado and ninth in Second Novice Eight at Head of the Hooch.

Personal: Full name is Brooke Ashley Homer ... Parents are Whitney Twiehause and Blair Homer ... Has five siblings: Zach, Tyler, Gwen, Shelby and Riley ... Cousin Jared Homer played football at Northwestern State University ... Pre-health and exercise science major.

Kelsey Witten leads the team before racing at the Head of the Hooch.

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VARSITY HEATHE ER HOUSE SE

SARAH H KELLE

AUST AU UST S IN N, TEXA AS LAKE LA K TRA RAVI V S HS FR RES ESHMAN ESH HMAN N STA ST STAR TAR ARBO ARBO B AR ARD D

PONC PONC NCA A CI C TY TY,, OK T KLA LA. PONCA PON PO A CI CITY TY YH HS S SO OPH PHO HOMOR OMOR OR RE PO ORT/S RT T/S /STA T RB TA RBOA OARD

High School: Member of the Austin Rowing Club ... Team captain 2008-09 ... Central District regional champions in Lightweight Double and placed fifth at Youth Nationals in Lightweight Doubles in 2008 ... Central District regional champions in Quads, placed sixth at Youth Nationals in Quads, named Texas champion in Quads and placed fifth at Club Nationals in Doubles in 2009... Also participated in volleyball, soccer and track ... Soccer team was regional champions in 2006.

Personal: Full name is Heather Ann House ... Parents are Katherine and Dwain House ...

Has one sibling, Holly ... Sociology/criminology major.

Spring 2009: Recorded regular season wins over Texas and Iowa with First Novice Eight ...

Advanced to the Grand Finals as the only non-Pac 10 team at the San Diego Crew Classic in First Novice Eight ... Advanced to the “B” Final at the SIRA Championships in Varsity Eight ... Won the First Novice Eight race at the Big 12 Championships ... Advanced to the Grand Finals at the NCAA South/ Central Regional in First Novice Eight.

Fall 2008: Placed second in First Novice Eight at Head of Colorado and fifth at Head of the Hooch.

High School: Team captain of basketball team in high school ... Honorable mention in Centennial Conference ... Member of Team Oklahoma in Diamond Head Classic.

Personal: Full name is Sarah Lynn Kelle ... Parents are Josette and Don Kelle ... Has one sibling, David ... Pre-health and exercise science major.

“I chose to come to OU because I wanted to be part of the rich athletic and academic tradition here at OU. The rowing coaches here are the best in the country, so I wanted to learn from the best and become the best athlete I possibly can.”

Meagan Harrell

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VARSITY ABBEY Y LA AFOLLETTE

ASHLE EY LAFOLLETTE

WEST WEST STER E VI ER V LLE, OHI HIO O WEST WE ESTE STER ST ERVI ERVI V LLE VILLE E CE C N NTRA NT TRA RAL L HS H FR RES ESHMAN ESH HMAN N PORT PO ORT

WEST WEST STER TER ERVI E V LLE, OHI VI HIO O WEST WE S ER ST ERVILL ERV LE CE C NT NTRA RAL RA L HS FRES FR RES ESHMAN N PO ORT/S RT RT T/S STA T RBOA TARB RBOARD

High School: Member of the Westerville Rowing Club for five years ... Placed eighth in the nation (2006) and fifth in the nation (2007) in Lightweight Eight at U.S. Rowing Youth Nationals ... Placed 10th in the nation (2008) and 12th in the nation (2009) in Heavyweight Eight in at U.S. Rowing Youth Nationals ... Placed first at Midwest Junior Rowing Championship in Lightweight Eight in 2007 ...

Won the Midwest Championships ER8 sprints, placing first in Junior Novice Lightweight (2006), placed third in Women’s Junior (2008) and placed first in Women’s Junior (2009).

Personal: Parents are Danette and Bob LaFollette ... Has two siblings, Ashley (twin) and Andrew ... Father Bob wrestled at Taylor University ... Enrolled in pre-major studies.

High School: Member of the Westerville Rowing Club for five years ... Team captain 2008-09 ... Place fifth at Youth Nationals in 2006-07 ... Placed 10th at Youth Nationals in 2007-08 ... Placed 12th at Youth Nationals in 2008-09 ... Also participated in swimming ... A member of the honor roll and merit roll all four years of high school.

Personal: Parents are Danette and Bob LaFollette ... Has two siblings, Abbey (twin) and Andrew ... Father Bob wrestled at Taylor University ... Enrolled in pre-major studies.

“OU not only has one of the best athletic programs in the country, but also has great academic opportunities. Besides that, the rowing coaching staff has the passion, leadership and dedication to make the team successful. With OU also being close to my home, my choice was obvious.”

Chelsea Moore

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VARSITY MAUREE EN LE WIS

MELEA A MCCREARY

EL R REN EN NO, OKL OKLA. LA. EL REN NO HS HS SO OPH HOMOR RE ST STAR TAR ARBOAR ARBO ARD D

SAN DI SAN DIEG EGO, O CAL AL LIF IF. WEST WEST WE S SP PRIN RIN INGF NG GF FIE IELD LD HS HS RS R S SOP OPHOMO OPH HOMO MORE MO E P RT PO

Spring 2009: Advanced to the “C” Final at the NCAA South/ Central Regional with the Second Novice Eight.

Spring 2009: Did not compete.

Fall 2008: Member of Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll ... Placed second in Third Novice Eight in Novice-2 event at Head of Colorado.

At Central Florida: Was a member of First Novice Eight that went 38-4 during the season ... Won duals over Texas, Virginia, Michigan State, UCLA, Washington State, Stanford and Miami ... Won a bronze medal at the South/Central NCAA Regionals.

High School: Made all-state tennis in 2008 ... A four-time state qualifier in tennis ... Girl’s State Delegate ... Valedictorian and an Oklahoma Academic Scholar ... Member of National Honor Society.

High School: An All-American in 2005 and four year all-stater in swimming ... Named Patriot District’s Sportswoman of the Year in 2007 ... A junior national qualifier in the backstroke in 2005.

Personal: Full name is Maureen Michelle Lewis ... Parents are Rachel and Richard Lewis ... Has three siblings: John, Michael and David ... Pre-med major.

Personal: Full name is Melea Adrianna McCreary ... Parents are Maria and T McCreary ...

Has one sibling, JT ... Communication major.

Ashley LaFollette, Melea McCreary and Abbey LaFollette at the Head of the Hooch.

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VARSITY CHELSE EA MOORE

KILEY Y POPPINO

NO ORM RMAN A , OKLA AN LA A. NORM NO NORM R AN NOR RTH H HS S SE ENIOR ST STAR TAR ARBO BOAR ARD D

DALL DA L AS LL A , TEXA XA AS HIG H HI GHLAND GHL GH ND PAR ARK ARK K HS SO OPH PHO HOMOR OMOR ORE OR RE COXS C CO OXS X WAIN XSWA XS WAIN

Spring 2009: Regular season wins over Iowa, Central Florida, San Diego State and University of San Diego in Varsity Four ... Won the Varsity Four race at the Big 12 Championship ... Advanced to the Grand Finals at the NCAA South/Central Regionals in Varsity Four ... Advanced to the “B” Final in Varsity Eight at the SIRA Championships ... Selected as a 2009 National Scholar-Athlete by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association.

Fall 2008: Member of the Dean’s Honor Roll and Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll ...

Placed third at Head of Colorado in Varsity Four.

High School: Won first place at the St. Louis Sprints and first in the Novice Men’s Eight ... Placed fifth at Head of the Hooch women’s double ... Placed third at the U.S. Rowing Youth National Championship in Women’s Lightweight Four in 2007... Placed second at the Head of the Colorado in Women’s Junior Novice Four in 2006.

Personal: Full name is Kiley Frazier Poppino ... Parents are Shannon and Al Poppino ...

Has one sibling, Alex ... Special education major.

Personal: Full name is Chelsea Marie Moore ... Parents are Sherry and David Moore ...

Has two siblings, Tara and Leah ... Rower for Oklahoma crew from 2005-08 ...

Sister, Leah Morales, was also a member of Oklahoma crew ... Public relations major with a minor in interdisciplinary perspectives of the environment.

“Oklahoma had everything I was looking for in a university. I absolutely loved it from my very first visit. From championship sports teams to academic opportunities, OU has given me a full college experience. The great campus and nice people don’t hurt either.”

Kelsey Witten

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VARSITY LAURE EN PRICE

KAT RABE

PORT PORT RTLA LA AND N , TEXA XA AS GREG GR REG EGOR O Y-PO OR ORT R LA LAND ND HS HS SO OPH HOMOR ORE E COXS CO X WA XS WAIN I IN

BROK BROK OKEN KEN A ARR R OW,, OK RR OKLA LA..

LA BRO BROK BR OKEN ARR OKEN OKE OK R OW HS SO OPH PHO HOMOR OMOR ORE OR RE PO ORT RT/S T/S /STA STA T RB RBOA OARD

Spring 2009: Regular season wins over Iowa, Central Florida, San Diego State and University of San Diego in Varsity Four... Won the Varsity Four race at the Big 12 Championship ... Advanced to the Grand Finals at the NCAA South/Central Regionals in Varsity Four ... Advanced to the “B” Final in Varsity Eight at the SIRA Championships

Spring 2009: Recorded regular season wins over Texas and Iowa with the First Novice Eight ... Advanced to the “B” final at the SIRA Championships with the Second Novice Eight ... Placed second at the Big 12 Championships with the Second Novice Eight ... Advanced to the “C” Final at the NCAA South/ Central Regional with the Second Novice Eight.

Fall 2008: Member of Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll ... Placed ninth in second Novice Eight at Head of the Hooch.

Fall 2008: Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll ... Placed ninth at Head of the Hooch and seventh at Head of Colorado in Second Novice Eight.

High School: Drumline member four years of high school and section leader senior year ...

A 2008 National Merit Scholar ... Salutatorian of senior class ... An AP scholar with distinction ... PACE Award nominee.

High School: Participated in debate and played bass in orchestra in high school ... Member of National Honor Society, Oklahoma Honor Society.

Personal: Full name is Lauren Sylvia Lynn Price ... Parents are Elaine and Scott Price ...

Has two siblings, Ross and Brad ... Brother Brad plays baseball at UT-Dallas ...

Biochemistryy major j with a focus on pre-optometry. p p y

Personal: Full name is Katherine Lynn Rabe ... Parents are Elizabeth and Peter Rabe ...

Has four siblings: Ava, Max, William and George ... Leading Petty Officer of unit in U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps ... Golden Key National Honor fraternity ...

Chemistryy and biochemistryy major. j

55

VARSITY CARLY Y SCHUELER

BROOK KE SHEPPARD

PITT PITT TSBUR SBUR U GH, G , PA GH A. SHAL SH HAL ALER ARE R A HS FR RES ESH SHMAN N COXS CO OXS X WAIN XSWA WAIN

LA AWT W TON O , OKLA ON LA A. EIISE EISE E SENHOW OWER ER HS SO OPH PHO HOMOR OMOR ORE OR E STAR STA ST ARBOAR ARBO AR ARD D

High School: Member of the Steel City Rowing Club for five years ... A member of the National Honor Society and National Spanish Honor Society.

Personal: Full name is Carly Rae Schueler ... Parents are Jeanne Elbicki and James Schueler ... Has one sibling, Lauren ... Zoology major.

Spring 2009: Regular season wins over Texas and Iowa with First Novice Eight ... Advanced to the Grand Finals as the only non-Pac 10 team at the San Diego Crew Classic in First Novice Eight ... Earned a silver medal at the SIRA Championships in Novice Four ... Won the First Novice Eight race at the Big 12 Championships ... Advanced to the Grand Finals at the NCAA South/Central Regional in First Novice Eight ... Selected to attend the U.S. Rowing National freshman team camp.

Fall 2008: Placed second at Head of Colorado in First Novice Eight and fifth at Head of the Hooch in First Novice Eight.

High School: Participated in volleyball, swimming, track and field in high school ... A National Merit Scholar finalist and Academic all-stater ... U.S. Presidential Scholar and Valedictorian ... Named Outstanding Key Club Lt. Governor.

Personal: Parents are Drs. Cindy and Ernest Sheppard ... Has two siblings, Scott and Wade ... Father Ernest was a quarterback for Texas Tech ... Uncle Pete Berg played football at Texas A&M ... Aunt Jill Berg played tennis at OU ... International business major.

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VARSITY SARA A SHERRER

REBECC CA STAFF

BA BALT ALT LTIM IMOR IM MOR O E, MD D..

MARYVA M MAR MA ARYVA VALE LE H HS S FR RES ESH HM MAN AN N PO ORT/ RT T/S /STA /STA T RB RBOA OARD R

PHOE PH HOE OENI N X, ARI NI RIZ. RIZ Z..

Z PINNAC PIN PI NNAC ACLE LE E HS FRES FR RES ESHMAN AN PORT PO RT/S RT /S STA T RBOA TARB RBOARD

High School: Member of the Baltimore Rowing Club for more than four years ... Qualified for Nationals in Varsity Double in 2008 ... Qualified for Nationals in Varsity Pair in 2009 ... Participated in swimming, soccer and gymnastics.

Personal: Full name is Sara Christina Sherrer ... Parents are Joann and Curtis Sherrer ...

Has two siblings, Kyla and Ross ... Mother Joann played basketball and field hockey at Loyola College in Baltimore, Md. ... Enrolled in pre-major studies.

High School: Member of the Tempe Junior Crew ... Named co-captain in 2008-09 ... Placed fifth at U.S. Youth Nationals in Quad in 2009 ... Placed first at Canadian Junior World Trials in Singles in 2009 ... Placed eighth at Crash-B Indoor World Championships in 2009 ... Participated in basketball and volleyball ... State runner- up in basketball in 2006-07 and 2007-08 ... Member of the National Honor Society ... On the honor roll all four years of high school.

Personal: Parents are Valerie McQuaid and Brian Staff ... Has two siblings, Natalie and twin sister Olivia, a member of the rowing team and the OU soccer team ...

Psychology major.

“I chose Oklahoma because it was a brand new program and I wanted to set the bar and establish traditions here. I really liked the academic support, athletic facilities and coaches.

I’m looking forward to making NCAAs and winning the Big 12 Championship.”

Abbey LaFollette

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VARSITY REBECC CA WINCHESTER

KELSEY Y WITTE TEN

WASH WASH SHIN INGT G ON, OK GT OKLA KLA LA. WASHIN WAS WA NGT GTO GTON ON H ON HS S FRES FR RES ESHMAN AN N STAR STAR ST ARBO AR RBOAR BOARD D

SPRIING SPRI N FI F EL E D, MO. ELD, G EN GL E DA ALE L HS SE ENIOR COXS CO XSWA XS SWA WAIN IN

High School: Participated in basketball and track ... Placed sixth at the state track meet in discus throw in 2009 ... Regional champion in discus in 2008 ... Basketball team won state titles in 2004-05.

Personal: Full name is Rebecca Nicole Winchester ... Parents are Mike and Pam Winchester ... Has four siblings: Carolyn, James, Emily and Kaitlyn ... Father Mike played football at OU... Sister Carolyn played basketball at OU ... Brother James plays football at OU ... Sociology major.

Spring 2009: Regular season wins over Texas and Iowa with First Novice Eight ... Advanced to the Grand Finals as the only non-Pac 10 team at the San Diego Crew Classic in First Novice Eight ... Earned a silver medal at the SIRA Championships in Novice Four ... Won the First Novice Eight race at the Big 12 Championships ... Advanced to the Grand Finals at the NCAA South/Central Regional in First Novice Eight.

Fall 2008: Placed second at the Head of the Colorado in First Novice Eight.

High School: A seven-time state qualifier in gymnastics ... Member of National Honor Society.

Personal: Full name is Kelsey Nicole Witten ... Parents are Dan Witten and Gina Wells ...

Has one sibling, Carlye ... Editor of Sooner Yearbook and an OU Honor’s Scholar ... Journalism major and sociology minor.

“On my visit, I was really impressed with everything being put into the program. Everyone was so motivated to make it a top program and I’m looking forward to helping build and contribute to the success of Oklahoma rowing.”

Rebecca Staff 58

NOVICE

NICOLE BLADOW Norman, Okla.

Norman North HS

ELIZABETH BLANCHE Yukon, Okla.

Yukon HS

OLIVIA COLEMAN Spring, Texas Klein Oak HS

MARY COX Houston, Texas Cypress- Fair HS

LENA EAGLE ROAD Talihina, Okla.

Talihina HS

WHITNEY EWING Bartlesville, Okla.

Ponca City HS

PAIGE GERO El Paso, Texas Coronado HS

ASHLYN HARTQUIST Oklahoma City, Okla.

Westmoore HS

KAYLEE JOHNSON Sand Springs, Okla.

Charles Page HS 59

NOVICE

60

MCKENZIE LEE Newark, Calif.

Moreau Catholic HS

ELIZABETH MIDDLETON Colchester, Conn.

Bacon Academy

KELSEY O’GRADY Ada, Okla.

Byng HS

KATRIN PASSLACK Chandler, Ariz.

Corona de Sol HS

TAYLOR ROWLEY Ashford, Conn.

E. O. Smith HS

OLIVIA STAFF Phoenix, Ariz.

Pinnacle HS

CHLOE TROUTT Paris, Texas North Lamar HS

PATRICIA VANSCOY Broken Arrow, Okla.

Broken Arrow HS

MORGAN WHINERY Sayre, Okla.

Sayre HS

2009 SEASON REVIEW

SEASON REVIEW

History Made in Inaugural Season

T

he University of Oklahoma rowing team completed its inaugural season in the spring of 2009 with 23 athletes named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll for their academic performance. In addition, Chelsea Moore and Teddi Dwyer were named Scholar Athletes by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches’ Association, which is an honor bestowed on only the most committed of female collegiate rowers. The CRCA also named assistant coach Andy Derrick the Southern Region Assistant Coach of the Year for his work with the OU novices. Brooke Sheppard of Lawton, Okla., was one of 40 freshmen in the country invited to attend the United States National Team Freshman Camp.

defeated Texas in the second race of the day, and capped off the weekend with a close finish against Iowa, defeating the Hawkeyes by a mere 0.1 of a second. The second novice eight competed once at the invitational, finishing second to Texas.

Oklahoma competed in the first ever Big 12 Championship in rowing, finishing no lower than second place in the events it entered. The varsity four and first novice eight placed first and the second novice eight placed second. The Sooners ended the season placing the varsity four and novice eight in fifth and sixth, respectively, at the NCAA South/Central Regional Qualifier.

While in San Diego, the varsity four competed against San Diego State and the University of San Diego. The Sooners led the 2000 meter race from start to finish and had gained open water by the 500 meter mark. OU finished the race with a 19 second lead over second place San Diego State.

Oklahoma began the season at the Longhorn Invitational in Austin, Texas, March 20-22. The varsity four went 2-2 with wins over Iowa and Central Florida. The first novice eight won two of three races, losing only to Kansas State. The Sooners

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At the San Diego Crew Classic, the first and second novice eights competed against some of the strongest programs in the country. The first novice eight finished second in its heat, which earned OU a spot in the Grand Final. OU was the only non Pac-10 team in the final and finished fifth overall.

The second novice eight finished second in their final behind Minnesota.

The SIRA Championships in Oak Ridge, Tenn., featured two new boats for the Sooners. Oklahoma raced a varsity eight and a novice four for the first time during the season. The varsity eight, comprised of members of the varsity four and four walk-on novices from the first novice eight, finished fifth in the heat, but went on to finish just

0.4 of a second behind winner Southern Methodist University in the “B” Final. Alabama finished in third place and Tulsa, West Virginia and Jacksonville rounded out the field.

The novice four placed first in the heat and semifinal, and went on to finish second in the Grand Final, earning a silver medal. The Sooners raced well in the heat and semifinal, defeating opponents by more than 16 seconds. In the Grand Final, Oklahoma finished second behind Tulsa.

Oklahoma competed in the inaugural Big 12 Championship against Kansas, Kansas State and Texas. Due to only fielding three boats, Oklahoma did not factor in the total point system but won two of the three races entered.

SEASON REVIEW The first novice eight avenged an earlier loss to Kansas State and finished first, six seconds ahead of the Wildcats. The varsity four faced Big 12 foes for the first time and raced in impressive fashion, defeating second place Kansas by 12 seconds. Texas and Kansas State finished third and fourth respectively, more than 16 seconds off of OU’s winning time. The second novice eight finished in second place behind the Texas Longhorns.

The NCAA South/Central Regionals in Oak Ridge, Tenn., was the final regatta of the season for the Sooners. The varsity four and novice eights faced off against teams from the Big 12, Big 10, ACC, Big East, and Conference USA. Oklahoma did not qualify for the team standings due to only fielding one varsity boat.

The first novice eight placed fourth in the heat and third in the semifinal, advancing to the Grand Final where they finished sixth overall. The second novice eight placed sixth in the preliminary round, qualifying for the “C” final.

Oklahoma finished fourth in that event.

“I am really proud of the accomplishments of the team in our first season of Division I competition” head coach Leeanne Crain said. “With only a few recruited athletes and a small squad comprised almost entirely of walk-ons with no prior rowing experience, this young group exceeded my expectations.

At the beginning of the season, I never would have guessed that we would win two events at Big 12 and advance two boats to the Grand Finals at our NCAA Regional Championship. We set the bar high, and the team responded.”

The varsity four defeated Indiana and Tennessee in the preliminary heat to advance to the “A/B” semifinal where they finished third behind Wisconsin and Ohio State. The third-place finish was enough to earn a spot in the Grand Final, where they finished fifth behind Ohio State, Clemson, Michigan and Wisconsin.

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SEASON REVIEW LONGHORN INVITATIONAL

SAN DIEGO CREW CLASSIC

SIRA CHAMPIONSHIPS

Austin, Texas - Lady Bird Lake March 20-22

San Diego, Calif. - Mission Bay April 3-5

Oak Ridge, Tenn. - Oak Ridge Course April 18-19

Varsity Four 1.Oklahoma..................................... 8:21.90 2.Iowa .........................................................8:56.10

First Novice Eight - Heat 1.Washington........................................................7:08.18 2.Oklahoma..............................................7:27.51 3.Minnesota ..........................................................7:39.16 4.Santa Clara .........................................................7:54.68 5.Colorado.............................................................8:06.51 6.UC San Diego...................................................... 8:05.26

Varsity Eight - Heat 1.Kansas State ...................................................6:42.90 2.Purdue ...........................................................6:46.47 3.Kansas............................................................6:52.47 4.Alabama ........................................................6:56.73 5.Oklahoma.......................................... 6:58.04 6.Jacksonville ....................................................7:09.70

First Novice Eight - Grand Final 1.Washington........................................................ 7:16.97 2.Oregon State ...................................................... 7:18.63 3.Washington State............................................... 7:28.87 4.UCLA ..................................................................7:35.96 5.Oklahoma..............................................7:47.33 6.USC .................................................................... 7:56.70

Varsity Eight - “B” Final 1.SMU .................................................................7:07.6 2.Oklahoma.......................................... 7:08.00 3.Alabama ........................................................7:09.60 4.Tulsa...............................................................7:16.35 5.West Virginia ................................................. 7:25.50 6.Jacksonville ....................................................7:26.00

Second Novice Eight 1.Minnesota .......................................................... 7:21.70 2.Oklahoma..............................................7:32.68 3.San Diego State .................................................. 7:39.05 4.UC Santa Barbara ............................................... 7:45.63 5.U. of San Diego ...................................................7:49.00 6.UC San Diego...................................................... 8:11.40 7.Cal State Long Beach .......................................... 8:25.94

Second Novice Eight - Heat 1.Indiana...........................................................7:07.00 2.Tulsa...............................................................7:16.02 3.Kansas............................................................7:16.22 4.West Virginia ..................................................7:25.91 5.Oklahoma.......................................... 7:30.02 6.Louisville ........................................................7:51.11

1. Wisconsin Lt. W. .......................................7:32.50 2.Oklahoma..................................... 7:33.70 1.Oklahoma..................................... 8:20.40 2.Central Florida ..........................................8:49.40 1.Wisconsin Lt.W. ........................................7:55.80 2.Oklahoma..................................... 7:59.30 First Novice Eight 1.Kansas State .............................................7:41.50 2.Oklahoma..................................... 7:48.10 1.Oklahoma..................................... 7:04.50 2.Texas ........................................................7:11.60 1.Oklahoma..................................... 7:35.60 2. Iowa ........................................................7:36.50 Second Novice Eight 1.Texas ........................................................7:42.00 2.Oklahoma..................................... 7:43.47 Lineups V4+: Lauren Price (cox), Meagan Harrell (stroke), Elena Engles (3), Chelsea Moore (2), Teddi Dwyer (bow) N8+: Kelsey Witten (cox), Brooke Sheppard (stroke), Cara Bowers (7), Heather McDonald (6), Jenava Burguiere (5), Sarah Kelle (4), Katherine Rabe (3), Izzy Stewart (2), Monique Gaines (bow) 2N8+: Kiley Poppino (cox), Lindsay Hemingway (stroke), Brandi Brown (7), Caroline Brannin (6), Brooke Homer (5), Laurel Holasek (4), Erin Smith (3), Izzy Stewart (2), Madelyn Randolph (bow)

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Oklahoma vs. San Diego State and U. of San Diego 1.Oklahoma...............................................7:37.80 2.San Diego State ...................................................7:56.47 3.U. of San Diego .................................................... 7:58.45 Lineups N8+: Kelsey Witten (cox), Laura Moon (stroke), Brooke Sheppard (7), Cara Bowers (6), Sarah Kelle (5), Heather McDonald (4), Jenava Burguiere (3), Lindsay Hemingway (2), Monique Gaines (bow) 2N8+: Haley Brown (cox), Izzy Stewart (stroke), Brandi Brown (7), Katherine Rabe (6), Brooke Homer (5), Laurel Holasek (4), Madelyn Randolph (3), Janelle Roche (2), Caroline Brannin (bow) V4+: Lauren Price (cox), Meagan Harrell (stroke), Elena Engles (3), Chelsea Moore (2), Teddi Dwyer (bow)

Second Novice Eight - “B” Final 1.Indiana...........................................................7:17.40 2.Purdue ...........................................................7:27.60 3.West Virginia ..................................................7:37.90 4.Oklahoma.......................................... 7:45.00 5.Jacksonville ....................................................8:04.00 6.Louisville ........................................................8:04.60 Novice Four - Heat 1.Oklahoma.......................................... 8:18.60 2.Murray State ..................................................8:34.16 3.Michigan State ...............................................8:47.68 4.NSU-La. ..........................................................8:48.27 5.Alabama ........................................................9:01.35 6.Vanderbilt ....................................................10:15.02 Novice Four - Semifinal 1.Oklahoma.......................................... 8:00.50 2.U. of Charleston ..............................................8:22.55 3.Kansas............................................................8:30.91 4.NSU-La. ..........................................................8:36.36 5.Tampa ............................................................8:54.94 6. Virginia Tech ..................................................9:20.93

SEASON REVIEW Novice Four - Grand Final 1.Tulsa............................................................... 8:05.10 2.Oklahoma...........................................8:09.30 3.Murray State .................................................. 8:16.00 4.Purdue ........................................................... 8:24.90 5.Kansas.............................................................8:35.40 6.U. of Charleston .............................................. 8:48.00 Lineups V8+: Lauren Price (cox), Meagan Harrell (stroke), Teddi Dwyer (7), Chelsea Moore (6), Elena Engles (5), Monique Gaines (4), Cara Bowers (3), Sarah Kelle (2), Laura Moon (bow) 2N8+: Haley Brown (cox), Izzy Stewart (stroke), Brandi Brown (7), Katherine Rabe (6), Jenava Burguiere (5), Laurel Holasek (4), Madelyn Randolph (3), Janelle Roche (2), Brooke Homer (bow) N4+: Kelsey Witten (cox), Lindsay Hemingway (stroke), Brooke Sheppard (3), Heather McDonald (2), Caroline Brannin (bow)

BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP Wyandotte, Kan. - Wyandotte County Lake May 2 Varsity Four 1.Oklahoma...........................................7:24.60 2.Kansas............................................................ 7:36.40 3.Texas .............................................................. 7:41.20 4.Kansas State ................................................... 7:41.60 First Novice Eight 1.Oklahoma...........................................6:51.40 2.Kansas State ....................................................6:57.60 3.Texas ...............................................................6:59.30 4.Kansas.............................................................7:09.70 Second Novice Eight 1.Texas .............................................................. 7:07.80 2.Oklahoma...........................................7:21.30 3.Kansas.............................................................7:36.60 4.Kansas State ....................................................7:42.50 Lineups V4+: Lauren Price (cox), Meagan Harrell (stroke), Elena Engles (3), Chelsea Moore (2), Teddi Dwyer (bow) N8+: Kelsey Witten (cox), Laura Moon (stroke), Brooke Sheppard (7), Cara Bowers (6), Sarah Kelle (5), Heather McDonald (4), Caroline Brannin (3), Lindsay Hemingway (2), Monique Gaines (bow) 2N8+: Haley Brown (cox), Izzy Stewart (stroke), Brandi Brown (7), Katherine Rabe (6), Brooke Homer (5), Laurel Holasek (4), Madelyn Randolph (3), Janelle Roche(2), Caroline Brannin (bow)

NCAA SOUTH/CENTRAL REGIONALS Oak Ridge, Tenn.- Oak Ridge Course May 16-17 Varsity Four - Prelim 1.Wisconsin ....................................................... 7:05.10 2.Virginia “B”..................................................... 7:14.23 3.Oklahoma...........................................7:21.68 4.Indiana........................................................... 7:35.94 5.Tennessee ...................................................... 7:36.26 Varsity Four - A/B Semifinal 1.Wisconsin ....................................................... 7:07.80 2.Ohio State ...................................................... 7:11.55 3.Oklahoma...........................................7:12.94 4.Virginia “A”...................................................... 7:13.23 5.Michigan State ............................................... 7:23.57 6.Clemson “B” ................................................... 7:28.44 Varsity Four - Grand Final 1.Ohio State ...................................................... 6:59.70 2.Clemson ......................................................... 7:01.20 3.Michigan ........................................................ 7:01.60 4.Wisconsin ....................................................... 7:03.10 5.Oklahoma...........................................7:09.90 6.Virginia “B”..................................................... 7:10.90

Second Novice Eight - Prelims 1.UCF............................................................... 6:38.00 2.Michigan ...................................................... 6:39.80 3.Alabama ...................................................... 6:49.89 4.Notre Dame .................................................. 6:52.11 5.Kansas.......................................................... 7:05.99 6.Oklahoma.........................................7:22.50 Second Novice Eight - “C” Final 1.Kansas State ..................................................6:42.30 2.Kansas...........................................................6:48.80 3.Indiana..........................................................6:49.00 5.Oklahoma......................................... 7:03.00 Lineups V4+: Lauren Price (cox), Meagan Harrell (stroke), Chelsea Moore (3), Elena Engles (2), Teddi Dwyer (bow) N8+: Kelsey Witten (cox), Laura Moon (stroke), Brooke Sheppard (7), Cara Bowers (6), Sarah Kelle (5), Heather McDonald (4), Caroline Brannin (3), Lindsay Hemingway (2), Monique Gaines (bow) 2N8+: Haley Brown (cox), Katherine Rabe (stroke), Jenava Burguiere (7), Izzy Stewart (6), Madelyn Randolph (5), Laurel Holasek (4), Brooke Homer (3), Maureen Lewis (2), Brandi Brown (bow)

First Novice Eight - Prelim 1.Virginia “A”...................................................... 6:39.50 2.Ohio State ...................................................... 6:44.41 3.Clemson ......................................................... 6:46.98 4.Oklahoma...........................................6:50.69 6.Kansas State ................................................... 6:58.04 First Novice Eight - A/B Semifinal 1.Virginia “A” ..................................................... 6:31.30 2.UCF................................................................ 6:34.90 3.Oklahoma...........................................6:37.30 4.Virginia “B”..................................................... 6:39.68 5.Michigan State ............................................... 6:40.50 6.Notre Dame .................................................... 6:43.60 First Novice Eight - Grand Final 1.Virginia “A”...................................................... 6:27.60 2.Wisconsin ....................................................... 6:27.63 3.UCF................................................................. 6:31.20 4.Michigan ........................................................ 6:34.70 5.Duke............................................................... 6:37.70 6.Oklahoma...........................................6:42.20

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AWARDS AND LETTERWINNERS 2009 CRCA Scholar-Athletes Chelsea Moore Teddi Dwyer

2008-09 Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll Fall Semester Rory Blackburn Cara Bowers Brandi Brown Haley Brown Jenava Burguiere

Kelsey Crowell Teddi Dwyer Rebecca Evans Ally Gray Meagan Harrell

Amanda Hoffman Brooke Homer Sarah Kelle Maureen Lewis Melea McCreary

Heather McDonald Laura Moon Chelsea Moore Michael Owen Lauren Price

Katherine Rabe Madelyn Randolph Brooke Sheppard Erin Smith Kelsey Witten

Kiley Poppino Lauren Price Katherine Rabe Madelyn Randolph Brooke Sheppard

Erin Smith Kelsey Witten

Chelsea Moore Kiley Poppino Lauren Price Katherine Rabe Made Ma Madelyn dely lynn Randolph Rand Ra ndol olph ph

Brooke Sheppard Erin Smith Izzy Stewart Kelsey Witten

Spring Semester Cara Bowers Brandi Brown Jenava Burguiere Teddi Dwyer Elena Engles

Samanatha Fahed Ally Gray Meagan Harrell Amanda Hoffman Laurel Holasek

Brooke Homer Sarah Kelle Maureen Lewis Heather McDonald Chelsea Moore

2009 Letterwinners Cara Bowers Caroline Brannin Brandi Brown Jenava Burguiere Ashley Ashl As hley ey Dodd DDod oddd

66

Teddi Dwyer Elena Engles Monique Gaines Meagan Harrell Lindsey Lind Li ndse seyy Hemingway Hemi He ming ngwa wayy

Laurel Holasek Brooke Homer Sarah Kelle Maureen Lewis Heather Heeat athe herr McDonald

MEDIA INFORMATION

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OU QUICK FACTS University Information

Oklahoma Staff

Name of School ................................................................University of Oklahoma Location .........................................................................................Norman, Okla.

Founded ........................................................................................................1890 Enrollment .................................................................................................30,092 Nickname .................................................................................................Sooners School Colors............................................................................. Crimson & Cream School President ............................................................................David L. Boren Director of Athletics ...................................................................... Joe Castiglione School Web site ................................................................................www.ou.edu Athletics Web site.....................................................................SoonerSports.com Conference Web site ................................................................... Big12sports.com

Head Coach (Second Season) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Leeanne Crain Alma Mater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .UCLA (1988) Head Coach E-mail. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . l.crain@ou.edu Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marina Traub Assistant Coach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andy Derrick Graduate Assistant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Megan Mitchell Office Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (405) 325-6961

Facility Information Name of Facility ............................................................... Chesapeake Boathouse Location ........................................................... Oklahoma City, Okla. (Bricktown) Water ...........................................................................................Oklahoma River

OU Athletics Communications PHILLIP ROGERS

KENNY MOSSMAN Senior Associate A.D./Communications | Football | kmossman@ou.edu

68 MIKE HOUCK Associate Director | Men’s Basketball | mhouck@ou.edu

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Graduate Assistant | Men’s Golf and Women’s Gymnastics | philliprogers@ou.edu

MITCH HECKART Graduate Assistant | Wrestling | mitch86@ou.edu

JARED THOMPSON

MATT WILSON

Associate Director | Women’s Basketball, Football | jaredthompson@ou.edu

Student Intern | Men’s Gymnastics | mwilson75@ou.edu

CRAIG MORAN

JASON BODIN

Assistant Director | Baseball, Football, Soccer | cmoran@ou.edu

Student Intern | Men’s Tennis | jason.bodin@ou.edu

CASSIE GAGE

LESLIE KOCH

Assistant Director | Softball, Volleyball

Student Intern | Women’s Tennis | lesali@ou.edu

DAVID BASSITY

STEPHANIE TURNER

Assistant Director | Track & Field, Football | dbassity@ou.edu

Student Intern | Women’s Golf | stephanieturner@ou.edu

JENNIFER VAN TUYL

SCOTT MATTHEWS

Student Intern | Women’s Rowing | jenvantuyl@ou.edu

Director of Graphic Design | smatthews@ou.edu

ROWING SoonerSports.com Oklahoma’s official athletics site, SoonerSports.com, ranked in the top five across the board in CBS College Sports’ rankings of the 213 school and conference sites in its network for the past year.

The University of Oklahoma, in conjunction with its multimedia rights partner, Sooner Sports Properties, signed on in 2009 to become the partner in CBS College Sports Network, the industry leader for online networks. It operates Oklahoma’s official athletics Web site, providing Sooner fans with the most in-depth coverage and interactive content of Oklahoma sports that has ever been available.

SoonerSportsMedia.com The OU Athletics Department provides an innovative service for media covering the Sooners. Log on to SoonerSportsMedia.com and download high-resolution action photos, mug shots, official OU logos, online credentials and more. Visit the site to request an account for access.

The OU Athletics Department and CBS College Sports Network committed considerable research, planning and design resources in developing the new SoonerSports.com. OU is recognized as a leader in intercollegiate athletics and its official site follows in that tradition.

For many, the site serves as the front door to the Sooner experience. SoonerSports.com also provides an integral link between OU student-athletes, their families, coaches, Oklahoma students, fans, prospective student-athletes, alumni, media, donors, corporate partners, the University and peer institutions in the Big 12 Conference and the NCAA. The site strengthens Oklahoma’s commitment in bringing its fans the most extensive coverage of the Sooners direct from Norman. By utilizing the latest technology, including webcasts, podcasts, RSS feeds, wireless services and more, OU presents fans with unprecedented opportunities to access official Sooner news, features and multimedia.

In addition to Oklahoma All-Access, CBS College Sports Network launched a custom Web site with a variety of online features including an e-commerce store, photo galleries and CBS College Sports Network’s exclusive GameTrackerTM technology, which allows fans to follow live simulated game action, details and full play-by-play of their favorite Sooner sports. SoonerSports.com will also receive CBS College Sports Network’s industry-leading online and new media solutions, including access to new distribution platforms such as CBS2Go mobile and podcasting.

Sooner Sports Properties is a division of Learfield Sports, which administers multimedia rights for nearly 35 collegiate institutions and associations including fellow Big 12 members Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas State, Missouri and Texas A&M. The Dallas-based company also secures marketing partnerships for the Black Coaches Association (BCA) and provides exclusive sports programming to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the country.

Additionally, Team Services, LLC, a Learfield Sports company, specializes in venue naming rights, marketing research and sales consultation.

CBS College Sports Network is the leading digital and cable programming company dedicated to college sports. Connecting more fans to more college sports than any other company, its many platforms for programming distribution include CBS College Sports TV, televising regular-season and championship events for 35 men’s and women’s college sports; sportsline.com/cbscollegesports and its network of more than 215 official athletic sites; CBS College Sports Network All Access, broadband services providing live audio and video of more than 10,000 events annually; as well as satellite television and radio, in-flight entertainment, wireless networks and more. Further information is available at www.sportsline.com/cbscollegesports

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ROSTER 2010 Oklahoma Rowing Roster Nicole Bladow ................................................ Norman, Okla./ Norman North HS Elizabeth Blanche........................................................... Yukon, Okla./ Yukon HS Haley Brown................................................................. Wilson, Okla./ Wilson HS Olivia Coleman ......................................................... Spring, Texas/ Klein Oak HS Mary Cox ........................................................... Houston, Texas/ Cypress-Fair HS Lena Eagle Road ........................................................ Talihina, Okla./ Talihina HS Whitney Ewing................................................. Bartlesville, Okla.. Ponca City HS Samantha Fahed ................................................. Longwood, Fla./ Lake Mary HS Meghan Farrell ..................................................... Phoenix, Ariz./ Chapparral HS Nicole Furmanek .......................................................... Belleville, Ill./ Althoff HS Monique Gaines ................................................ Muskogee, Okla./ Muskogee HS Paige Gero ............................................................... El Paso, Texas/ Coronado HS Ally Gray.............................................................. Valrico, Fla./ Bloomingdale HS Meagan Harrell ..................................................... Norfolk, Va./ Great Bridge HS Ashlyn Hartquist ....................................... Oklahoma City, Okla./ Westmoore HS Amanda Hoffman...................................................... Dunedin, Fla./ Dunedin HS Brooke Holleman .................................................. Edmond, Okla./ Heritage Hall Brooke Homer ....................................................... Mustang, Okla./ Mustang HS Heather House ....................................................... Austin, Texas/ Lake Travis HS Kaylee Johnson ......................................... Sand Springs, Okla./ Charles Page HS Sarah Kelle ........................................................ Ponca City, Okla./ Ponca City HS Abbey LaFollette ................................. Westerville, Ohio/ Westerville Central HS

Ashley LaFollette................................. Westerville, Ohio/ Westerville Central HS McKenzie Lee ............................................... Newark, Calif./ Moreau Catholic HS Maureen Lewis ........................................................... El Reno, Okla./ El Reno HS Melea McCreary ....................................... San Diego, Calif./ West Springfield HS Elizabeth Middleton ..................................... Colchester, Conn./ Bacon Academy Chelsea Moore................................................ Norman, Okla./ Norman North HS Kelsey O’Grady .................................................................... Ada, Okla./ Byng HS Katrin Passlack ................................................ Chandler, Ariz./ Corona de Sol HS Kiley Poppino .................................................... Dallas, Texas/ Highland Park HS Lauren Price ............................................. Portland, Texas/ Gregory-Portland HS Katherine Rabe ....................................... Broken Arrow, Okla./ Broken Arrow HS Taylor Rowley ....................................................... Ashford, Conn./ E.O. Smith HS Carly Schueler .................................................... Pittsburgh, Pa./ Shaler Area HS Brooke Sheppard ................................................. Lawton, Okla./ Eisenhower HS Sara Sherrer ............................................ Baltimore, Md./ Maryvale Preparatory Olivia Staff................................................................. Phoenix, Ariz. Pinnacle HS Rebecca Staff ............................................................ Phoenix, Ariz. Pinnacle HS Chloe Troutt............................................................ Paris, Texas, North Lamar HS Patricia Vanscoy....................................... Broken Arrow, Okla./ Broken Arrow HS Morgan Whinery .............................................................. Sayre, Okla./ Sayre HS Rebecca Winchester ..................................... Washington, Okla./ Washington HS Kelsey Witten ....................................................... Springfield, Mo./ Glendale HS

70Pronunciation Guide Nicole Bladow ........................... Blade-O Lena Eagle Road ......................... Lay-Nuh Sam Fahed ................................ Fuh-head Paige Gero ................................. Juh-ro Abbey LaFollette ....................... la-FALL-it Ashley LaFollette........................ la-FALL-it

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Katrin Passlack ........................... Kuh-trin Kiley Poppino ............................. Pop-i-no Katherine Rabe .......................... Rah-B Carly Schueler ........................... Shoe-ler Sara Sherrer .............................. Share-er Morgan Whinery ........................ Winner-E

ROWING SCHEDULE OU Invitational

March 12-14

Oklahoma City, Okla.

The University of Oklahoma hosts the OU Invitational on the Oklahoma River, March 12-14. The Sooners are set to compete against Creighton, Kansas, San Diego, SMU and Tulsa during the three-day event.

Longhorn Invitational

March 19-21

Austin, Texas

Oklahoma travels south to Austin, Texas, to compete on Lady Bird Lake. The 2,000 meter coures features teams from Texas, Iowa, Louisville, Kansas State and Central Florida.

San Diego Crew Classic

March 27-28

San Diego, Calif.

The Sooners head west to San Diego for the largest regatta in the world exclusively for eight oar racing competitions. Held on Mission Bay, the Crew Classic features 96 races for more than 3,400 athletes. Last season, the OU first novice eight advanced to the Grand Finals and placed fifth as the only non-Pac 10 team. Fans can watch races via a live streaming webcast, as well as on the national broadcast found on ESPNU.

Alabama/Old Dominion

April 3

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

OU begins the month of April on the Black Warrior River in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Sooners are set to compete against Alabama and Old Dominion in the one-day event.

SIRA Championships

April 17-18

Oak Ridge, Tenn.

In preparation for the Big 12 Championship, Oklahoma competes at the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships. The Sooners are familiar with the 2,000 meter Oak Ridge course as they saw much success last season. The novice four finished in second place in the Grand Final, earning a silver medal.

Big 12 Championship

May 1

Oklahoma City, Okla.

Oklahoma hosts the second annual Big 12 Championship on the Oklahoma River. Oklahoma, Kansas, Kansas State and Texas make up the Big 12 conference rowing teams. Last season, the Sooners had a strong showing with two first-place finishes and a second place-finish. OU did not factor into scoring due to only fielding three boats, but looks to capture its first Big 12 title this season.

NCAA South/Central Regional May 15-16 Oak Ridge, Tenn.

The rowing team competes on the Oak Ridge course for the second time at the NCAA South/Central Regionals. In 2009, Oklahoma’s varsity four and first novice eight advanced to the Grand Finals and finished fifth and sixth respectively.

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HISTORY Rowing in Oklahoma

BC

The following information is courtesy of the Cheasapeake Boathouse website, located at ChesapeakeBoathouse.org.

Oared vessels began to be used for transport, commerce, fishing, lifesaving and war, but, while there are occassional references in classical texts to boat racing, rowing primarily for exercise, non-ceremonial recreation or competition was not common before 1800.

Rowing was first introduced to central Oklahoma in the late seventies by Bob Stroud, founder and president of the Oklahoma City Rowing Club. Stroud and the early pioneers of Oklahoma rowing erected a boathouse on land between the North Canadian River and Lake Overholser. During the early eighties, the “Dust Bowl Regatta” was staged annually on the North Canadian River, attracting universities from throughout the Midwest. In 1989, Oklahoma City hosted the U.S. Olympic festival which drew the best collegiate rowers from around the country.

1274

The first reference to a regatta appeared in Venetian documentation.

1805

The first boat race was held in Australia.

In 1996, the framework for a new community rowing organization began to develop as a program that could put Oklahoma City on the map as competitive and diverse rowing population like those found on the east and west coasts. Driven by the vision to build a program that could put Oklahoma City on the map as home to a community rowing organization as diverse and competitive as any found on the east and west coasts, local rowers Jan Robb, Robert Wood, Tempe Knopp, Kevin Casey, Jackie Hubbard, Diane Taylor, and Mike Knopp worked together to form a new communitybased organization: the Oklahoma Association for Rowing (OAR).

1834

The first college boat club was organized at Oxford University and the first recorded contest for the Head of the River was won by Brasenose.

1852

The first intercollegiate sporting event in the U.S. was a rowing race between Harvard and Yale.

1875

The oldest surviving organized women’s rowing program was established at Wellesley College.

1892

The first U.S. women’s rowing club was established in San Diego, Calif. It was named after four of the founding members - ZLAC.

1903

The American Rowing Association was formed.

1962

The first FISA (Federal Internationale des Societes d’Aviron) world rowing championships were held in Switzerland.

The National Women’s Rowing Association (NWRA) was formed.

1972

The passage of Title IX Omnibus Education Act by Congress changed the face of women’s rowing in the United States.

1997

The NCAA holds first Women’s Rowing Championship.

2008

The Big 12 Conference hosts inaugural Rowing Championship. US Rowing partners with the Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation and Oklahoma City University to launch a US Rowing National High Performance Center on the Oklahoma River.

Following the establishment of OAR, membership grew as did the need for space.

Abuilding that previously housed a cafe was converted into a boathouse, and rowers had a new home at Lake Overholser.

As the grassroots effort to build a boathouse moved forward, Oklahoma City business leader Aubrey McClendon of Chesapeake Energy Corporation heard about the venture. Intrigued, he began exploring the opportunities and was soon the 72 primary source of support for the boathouse drive. Calling on architect Rand Elliot + Associates, to creat a design as unique as the sport, the Chesapeake Boathouse was conceived. Working in tandem with another Oklahoma City business leader Clay Bennett, McClendon set about securing funding for the multimillion dollar boathouse with the promise of creating a historic landmark presence for Oklahoma City.

Today, the Chesapeake Boathouse is the center of activity for rowing in Oklahoma City with an array of programs for rowers of all ages and at all skill levels. Presently, the three local universities (OU, OCU and UCO) all have plans to construct boathouses along the North Canadian River.

The University Of Oklahoma 2009

2010

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Establishes its first women’s rowing team led by Head Coach Leeanne Crain.

OU hosts 2010 Big 12 Championship.

ROWING ROWING TERMINOLOGY Backsplash

Half Pressure

The minor splash that can happen when the rower’s oar blade enters the water at a less than optimum angle; also a sign of inefficient blade work getting other rowers wet.

When rowers are rowing at half pressure, the are only pulling half strength.

Blade

Refers to the task when rowers square their oar blades in the water to bring the boat to a stop as quickly as possible.

The flat surface of the oar, usually painted in team colors. Approximately seven inches across and 24 to 30 inches wide.

Bow & Bowball The bow is the front of the boat and the part that crosses the finish line first. Since rowers are seated backward, the bow of the boat is behind them. Look for the ball on the tip of the bow.

Catch One of the three distinct rowing stroke phrases, the “catch” is the point when a rower’s blade enters the water.

Check The slight amount of hesitation you’ll see in the boat as it’s being rowed. The rowers’ forward slide during the recovery interrupts the momentum of the boat. The rowers’ challenge is to slide forward with such control that the boat never checks.

Coxswain Often abbreviated “cox,” this member of the crew sits in a small seat either in the bow or the stern while steering the shell and coaching the rowers during a race.

Crab The term rowers use when the oar blade gets “caught” in the water. It is caused by a momentary flaw in oar technique and is very common. It may be minor, allowing the rower to quickly recover, or it may be so forceful that the rower is ejected from the boat. Often, crews must cease rowing for the rower to regain control of the oar.

Hold Water

Missing Water A rower’s oar blade isn’t set into the water at an appropriate depth and either partially or completely misses the water.

Oarlock A u-shaped swivel mounted at the end of the rigger that holds the oar in position and serves as the pivot point for the oar.

Port The left side of the boat when facing the bow. Since rowers are seated facing backward, port is on the rower’s right.

Power 10 When the coxswain calls a Power 10, rowers are to increase the pressure of their stroke, i.e. they pull harder.

Quad (4x) A four-person sculling shell (each person has two oars). It’s not to be confused with a “four” which refers to a four-person sweep boat (each person has one oar).

Stroke Rate The number of strokes per minute.

Recovery

Deck

The third phrase of the rowing stroke referring to the point at which the rower holds the oar blades out of the water as they slide forward to the catch.

The deck of the boat includes the covered portion of the bow and stern.

Rigger

Double (2x)

The metal bracing attached to the side of the boat that holds the oarlock. The oar passes through the oarlock which acts as a pivot point.

A two-person sculling shell (each person has two oars). A pair refers to a two-person sweep boat (each person has one oar).

Drive One of the three distinct rowing stroke phrases, the “drive” is the point when the rower drives back with his/her legs and pulls the oar through the water, propelling the shell forward.

Scull The proper term for a sculling oar; commonly used as a noun to refer to a boat or a verb referring to the act of rowing with two oars.

Seat

Eight

The rowers sit on a seat which slides along a rail and are identified by the seat they occupy.

An eight-person sweep boat (each person has one oar). The eight is the fastest boat on the water and is usually the premier event at most regattas.

Shell

Feathering

Single (1x)

The position of the oar blades as they are turned parallel to the face of the water to cut down on wind resistance during the recover portion of the rowing stroke. Feathering too soon, before the blade has cleared the water, can result in a crab.

A single person in a sculling shell (two oars).

Finish

Starboard

The final part of the rower’s stroke where the blade comes out of the water; also refers to the end of a race, or to the way in which a crew completes a race.

The right side of the boat when facing the bow. Since rowers are seated facing backward, starboard is on the rower’s left.

Footstretcher

Stern

An adjustable bracket in the bottom of the rowing shell. Shoes are attached to the bracket giving the rower a way to secure his/her feet while rowing.

The back end of the boat.

Four A four-person sweep boat (each person has one oar).

Can refer to one cycle of the oar or the rower sitting nearest the stern who sets the cadence for the boat; all the other rowers follow his or her lead.

Gunwale (Gunnel)

Sweep Rowing

The top edge of the shell around the cockpit - the area where the rowers sit. The riggers are secured to the gunwale with bolts.

Rowing where each rower has one oar.

Another name for a rowing or sculling boat.

Skeg Short fin on the bottom of the shell that helps it maintain course.

Stroke

Way Enough Command to stop rowing.

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VIEWER’S GUIDE TO ROWING THE EVENTS Events are divided into two disciplines: sweep rowing and sculling. Most collegiate programs row only sweep events, including eights, fours, and pairs. In sweep rowing, each athlete has one oar, and is designated as either a port or starboard. Sweep boats typically carry a coxswain (pronounced cox-n) to steer and call commands to the crew.

In sculling events, each athlete has two oars. The sculling events include the single, double, and quad. Sculling boats do not carry a coxswain. The eight is the fastest boat on the water.

Athletes are identified by their seat in the boat. The athlete closest to the bow is seat No. 1 seat (or bow). In an eight, the person in front of the bow seat is No. 2, then No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, No. 6, No. 7, and No. 8, a.k.a. the stroke. The stroke of the boat must be a strong rower with excellent technique, since the stroke sets the rhythm and number of strokes per minute the rest of the crew must follow.

THE RACE All events in the spring “sprint” season are 2,000 meters, or approximately 1.25 miles.

The race course is divided into six lanes and each 500-meter section is marked with buoys.

RACE WATCHING • The crew that’s making it looks easy is most likely the one doing the best job. While you’re watching, look for continuous, fluid motion of the rowers.

The rowing motion shouldn’t have a discernable beginning or ending.

•

Synchronization. Rowers strive for perfect synchronization in the boat.

•

Clean catches of the oar blade. If you see a lot of splash, the oar blades aren’t entering the water efficiently.

•

Even oar blade feathering. When the blades are brought out of the water, they should move horizontally close to the water and at the same height.

It’s not easy, especially if the water is rough.

•

The most consistent speed. Shells don’t move like a car – they’re slowest at the catch, quickest at the release. The good crews time the catch at just the right moment to maintain the speed of the shell.

•

Rowing looks graceful, elegant and sometimes effortless when it’s done well. Don’t be fooled. A 2,000 meter race demands virtually everything a human being can bring to an athletic competition – aerobic ability, power, technical proficiency, exceptional mental discipline, ability to utilize oxygen efficiently and in huge quantities, balance, and pain tolerance from the build-up of lactic acid in the muscles.

•

Race times can vary considerably depending on the course and weather conditions. Tailwinds will improve times, while headwinds and cross winds will hamper them.

•

If a crew “catches a crab,” it means the oar blade has entered the water at an angle instead of perpendicularly. The oar blade gets caught under the surface and will slow or even stop a shell.

•

A “Power 10” is a call by the coxswain for the crew to take 10 hard strokes, usually to make a calculated move during the race.

•

Crews are identified by their oar blade designs and by a bow number on the boat.

•

Coxswains from first-place boats are thrown into the water by their crews.

•

Coxswains don’t yell “stroke, stroke”. Similar to a jockey, their job is to implement the coach’s strategy during the race, in addition to steering and informing the crew of their relative position in a race and providing motivation and technical feedback.

The race begins with all boats aligned at the start in the lanes they’ve been assigned.

Individuals in each lane hold the stern of each boat steady while an official, known as the aligner, ensures that each boat is even with the others and squarely facing the course.

Each crew is allowed one false start; two means disqualification. If within the first 100 meters, there is legitimate equipment breakage (e.g., an oar snaps in two), the race will be stopped and restarted with repaired equipment.

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The stroke rate (the number of strokes per minute that a crew is taking) is high at the start – as high as 40-45 for an eight. Then, the crew will “settle” or shift into the body of the race and drop the rating down to approximately 34-38 strokes per minute.

There may be pre-determined “moves” in a crew’s race plan or a crew may challenge or respond to an opponent’s move by elevating the stroke rating for a defined number of strokes. Typically, crews will sprint in the last 250 meters, bringing the stroke rating up again to finish the race.

Unlike canoe/kayak competitions, rowers are allowed to leave their lanes without penalty, so long as they do not interfere with anyone else’s opportunity to win. An official follows the crews to ensure safety and fairness.

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ROWING SOONER OAR SOCIETY

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POCOCK RACING SHELLS PROUD SPONSOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA ROWING PROGRAM

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