ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - At the 2018 Clemson Invitational, the UCF rowing team was racing for more than times on the water.
Before the team left for the two-day regatta, the coaching staff shared the story of former Clemson rower Brittany Burns who passed away after a short but hard-fought battle with ovarian cancer in 2016.
When the team hit the water on April 13, their visors and bracelets weren't the usual black or gold. Instead, they wore teal - the color that symbolizes the fight against ovarian cancer. When the Knights heard Burns' story, they were quick to do their part to raise awareness.
For several members of the team, the cause hit a little closer to home.
When sophomore Jordan Jahosky was in fifth grade, her grandmother Joan was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
"There was an emotional wave that came over me," Jahosky said. "You can get this at such a young age, which is why screenings and things like that are extremely important. For our team to represent that was really meaningful."
When Marija Medelinskaite was in her freshman year at UCF, her mother Valerija went in for a routine checkup back home in Lithuania.
"They found the cancer cells and told her she needed surgery," Medelinskaite said. "It was actually a bit stressful but luckily that they found it so early that they didn't have any complications."
Freshman Ieva Medelinskaite, who was still at home when her mother was diagnosed, echoed her sister's statement.
"When people hear the word cancer, they freak out," Ieva said. "It was scary at first, but after they did the surgery, it wasn't as scary as we thought it was."
These three Knights know that their families were lucky to have caught the disease in its early stages.
"I just feel lucky that our mom was diagnosed in the early stages," Ieva said. "That's why it meant so much for us, because not all females get diagnosed early."
UCF joined Clemson and Duke by adding teal to their race day attire to help raise awareness.
"Nobody understands that the color teal also represents ovarian cancer," Jahosky said. "To be able to have teal hats and the bracelets, that was really important. Brittany was such a young woman. It can happen to any of us. It's hard to put into words how important this is. I'm glad we're taking steps as a team and as rowing as a sport to help spread awareness this way."
The elder Medelinskaite noted that ovarian cancer is one of the least known cancers, so she was pleased when UCF decided to help raise awareness.
"It might sound weird, but it was exciting to be able to represent that as a rower and as a UCF Knight," Marija said. "To spread awareness of something that you experienced more personally than just hearing the story, I can relate to that."
The Knights return to the water on April 28 at the Longhorn Invite.