Wednesday, July 10, 2019

PORTLAND, Ore. – Celebrating excellence both on the water and in the classroom, a total of 21 rowers from future GNAC programs have been selected as 2019 Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) National Scholar-Athletes.

Humboldt State led the way with nine selections. Seattle Pacific saw seven student-athletes earn awards and Western Washington finished with five. The 21 are among 68 total selections from NCAA Division II programs.

To earn selection as a CRCA National Scholar-Athlete, a rower must be in at least their second season of athletic eligibility, rowed in a minimum of 75 percent of the team’s current spring races or in a regional conference event and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or better.

The nine selections from Humboldt State include junior Mary Elise Conzelmann, junior Rachel Finkelstein, sophomore Kierstyn Hughes, senior Ciera Lathe, senior Diana Ortega, junior Amanda Pope, sophomore Hannah Shapiro, sophomore Phoebe Topete and junior Amelia Wagoner.

Representing Seattle Pacific is sophomore Megan Chalfant, junior Kaitlin Dickinson, junior Gillian Edgar, sophomore Talia Ferguson, junior Jacqueline Kemp, junior Chloe Remley and sophomore Suzanne Stafford.

National Scholar-Athletes from Western Washington include sophomores Maddie Bangasser, Anneka Bostrom and Rachael Schick; junior Angie Dexter and senior Karisa Stapp.

The CRCA National Scholar-Athlete awards are the latest academic honors for rowers from GNAC program. In May, Western Washington’s Bangasser and Humboldt State’s Conzelmann were named to the Google Cloud/CoSIDA Division II Academic All-District 8 Women’s At-Large Team.

The GNAC announced in June that women’s rowing will become the conference’s 17th championship sport beginning with the 2019-20 season. The conference will be comprised of four of the West Region’s five teams. Seattle Pacific and Western Washington are full members of the GNAC with Central Oklahoma and Humboldt State competing as affiliate members.