By Ivan Matip, Sports Writer
The Canoe/Kayak team just completed their season, but they’re not waiting to prepare for the next one.
Coming off a good season last year, the squad, led by Shaun Caven, looks to build on last year, with a mix of veterans like seniors Jared McArthur and Austin Schwinn and the addition of some exceptional new talent.
“Our season actually goes from April through August, but we have marathon and world trials coming here in October,” McArthur said. “It should be exciting.”
This time of the year is not the busiest for the team in terms of meets and competitions, but the rowers spend their off-season working hard while Caven continues recruiting.
“There are a couple of people practicing with us right now that are really trying to come to OCU,” Schwinn said. “We’re excited about them.”
Freshman Natalie Griffin is already seen as one of the standouts of this year.
Her experience at the U-23 World Championships has her coach and teammates excited about her potential.
The Canoe/Kayak team is the only coed sports team on campus outside of the Spirit Squads.
The team is comprised not only of OCU students, but also of athletes with international experience.
Though they train together, the men and the women of the team do not compete in the same boat during the races.
The team plans to use the upcoming Head of the Oklahoma regatta to see if their training has paid off.
“At the Head of the Oklahoma, we’ll get a chance to compete and see what we need to work on,” Schwinn said. “It is not the most important race of the year, but it should be a good test for us.”
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