Head coach Doug Wright

May 7, 2008

DALLAS (SMU)--The SMU rowing team adds two more with sophomore transfer Beth Hendrian and incoming freshman Haley King. Both have signed National Letters of Intent and will join the Mustangs this fall.

Hendrian, a 5'10" sophomore originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, comes to SMU from Conference USA rival UCF, where she competed as a member of the novice eight crew last year. Her boat earned top honors at the Petrakis Cup and defeated crews from Duke and Washington. In addition, her novice eight took second place at last year's SIRA Regatta and fourth place at the Aramark South/Central Sprints.

"Beth Hendrian comes to us with an impressive rowing resume," said head coach Doug Wright. "She is a solid rower with a passion for training and racing. I expect Beth to have the ability to make an immediate impact on our speed. She is a tremendous athlete with an unquenchable thirst to become better with every practice session and race."

King is a 5'9" rower with extensive sculling experience. She hails from Shawnee, Kansas, where she has competed for the Kansas City Rowing Club for the past four years. King took sixth in the junior double at the 2007 Central Region Championships in Oklahoma City and eighth in the junior quad at the 2007 Head of the Oklahoma Regatta. She's also a member of the National Honor Society at St. Thomas Aquinas High School.

"We are excited to have Haley King joining our class of 2012," said Wright. "Haley brings a lot of maturity to the program, along with her exceptional rowing and sculling skills. She is an outstanding student and I am sure her discipline and work ethic in the classroom will carry over into her career as a Mustang rower."