The Iowa rowing team returned to Iowa City on Sunday after a successful weekend at the Head of the Oklahoma race in Oklahoma City.

The Hawkeyes had two Varsity 8 boats and one Varsity 4 boat qualify for the grand final of the race, held on a 4,000-meter stretch of the Oklahoma River.

Iowa also put a Varsity 4 boat in the petite final, held on the evening of Oct. 1.

The 1 Varsity 8+ boat featuring Kendra Klaczak, Molly Pollpeter, Christine Allingham, Louise Bensz, Katy Kroll, Susie Stralina, Annemarie Bernhard, Laura Hallman, and Beth Baustian posted third place in the grand final with a time of 1:35.4.

The boat finished behind Stanford and Oklahoma.

Iowa also placed sixth in the Varsity 4 grand final and fourth in Varsity 4 petite final with times of 1:50.9 and 1:53.7, respectively.

"We wanted to use this race as a steppingstone for our progress," head coach Mandi Kowal said in a release. "Every time we went on the water, we improved our rowing … I was pleased to see the majority of the boats maintain their intensity down the course.

Kowal said her team hasn’t fulfilled its potential, however.

"We still have a long way to go, and with the right approach, we should be able to make an impact," she said.

The Hawkeyes will return to the water on Saturday for the Head of the Rock in Rockford, Ill.

— by Conrad Swanson