Wednesday, July 3, 2019
PORTLAND, Ore. – Led by four selections from national champion Central Oklahoma, five athletes from schools that will compete in the GNAC for women’s rowing next season have been named to the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) Pocock Division II All-America Team.
Earning first-team selections from Central Oklahoma are junior Eileen Anderson, junior Megan Dwarshuis and junior coxswain Madisyn Kitchell. The three Bronchos are joined by Seattle Pacific junior Gillian Edgar. Central Oklahoma junior Shelby Wacherly was the conference’s lone selection to the second team.
Nominees for the CRCA All-America Team must have participated in 75 percent of their team’s races this season and must have rowed at least 75 percent of the season’s races in the varsity boat. Nominees are evaluated on strength of schedule, regular season record, end of season regatta results, nomination ranking, coach’s comments and the nominee’s 2,000-meter erg score.
Mitchell, Dwarshuis and Anderson all rowed on the Bronchos’ varsity 8+ at the NCAA Championships, which finished in a time of 6:33.01 to win the race by four seconds. The trio has rowed in all three Central Oklahoma national titles in the varsity 8+ over the last three years. Wacherly, meanwhile, rowed on the Bronchos’ winning varsity 4+ boat which finished in a time of 7:27.02. The two crews led Central Oklahoma to the school’s second straight NCAA championship.
Anderson and Dwarshuis are the fourth and fifth two-time first-team All-Americans in Central Oklahoma program history.
Edgar has played a key role in Seattle Pacific’s rowing renaissance. She was part of the Falcons’ varsity 8+ that finished fourth at the NCAA Championships in a time of 6:43.65. That helped the Falcons finish fourth as a team in Seattle Pacific’s first trip to the national championship since 2011.
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. Joining Central Oklahoma and Seattle Pacific as conference members in rowing are Humboldt State and Western Washington.