Rowers, coaches garner Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association regional honors
May 26, 2010 | Women's Rowing
May 26, 2010
MADISON, Wis. - The Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) released its awards, and the Wisconsin women's rowing team honors 12 athletes and coaches.
Coaches
Starting with coaches, Head Coach Bebe Bryans was named the Central Region's coach of the year for the 2009-10 season. Her assistant coach Karen Rigsby notched the top assistant coach award for the same region. The award comes after the two coaches guided the Badgers to their first-ever Big Ten and NCAA Central Region championships.
The Coach of the Year Award is intended to recognize a head coach that fits one or more of the following criteria: Outstanding success during the current season, demonstrated great team improvement from the prior season, fulfilled team's potential and demonstrated a high level of professionalism and integrity as a coach.
The Assistant Coach of the Year award is designed to recognize an assistant coach or associate head coach who meets one or more of the following criteria: Outstanding commitment to his/her program, made a significant impact on the success of his/her program and demonstrated a high level of professionalism and integrity as a coach.
Both coaches are now eligible to win the National Coach of the Year and Assistant Coach of the Year Awards to be voted on in June.
All-Region
As for athletes, the Badgers boast two rowers on the All-Central Region First Team. Seniors Vicky Opitz and Katy Haver become first-time winners of the award in their final season at Wisconsin. A Middleton, Wis., native, Opitz has already claimed First Team All-Big Ten and the 2010 Big Ten Sportsmanship honors. Residing from Saskatoon, Sask., Haver joins Opitz on the Big Ten's first team and also served as the team's co-captain for the 2009-10 campaign.
On the All-Central Region Second team is Grace Latz. From Jackson, Mich., Latz was a Second Team All-Big Ten selection and 2008 and 2009 All-Academic Big Ten representative.
Nominated student-athletes are evaluated on the strength of their team's regional finish, coaches recommendations and 2,000-meter erg score. Nominees must be eligible student-athletes who have competed in their teams' varsity boat in 75 percent of races this season.
These athletes will be eligible for All-America awards selection following the NCAA Rowing Championships. The NCAA regatta will be held May 28-30 on Lake Natoma in Sacramento, Calif.
Scholar-Athletes
Furthermore, the CRCA announced the scholar athletes for the season, and Wisconsin finds seven athletes on the prestigious list.
Katie Hurtis (Kinesiology), Sarah Obernauer (Communication Arts), Ahna Olson (Psychology), Kirsten Rhude (Undecided), Shannon Schlack (Human Development and Family Studies) and Sara Watermolen (Nursing) made the team for the openweights. For the lightweights, senior Kaela Erickson (Kinesiology) represents the Badger squad.
All the scholar-athletes meet some very challenging requirements. Each student must be in her second, third or fourth year of eligibility, have rowed in her team's NCAA or IRA eligible boat(s) for a minimum of 75 percent of the current spring races or regional conference event and must boast a GPA of at least 3.5 or better.
Though the awards have been released, the seasons for the winners are definitely not over. For the openweights, Wisconsin will take its eighth-ranked squad out west this weekend, as it rows in the NCAA Championships in Gold River, Calif. As for the lightweights, their season concludes the following weekend, as the top-ranked Badgers head east to Camden, N.J., to attempt to claim a third-straight national title.
Be sure to check back to UWBadgers.com to learn about more awards the athletes bring home and to check the status of both squads' pursuits of national titles.
