Pac-12 announces men's and women's rowing all-conference honors

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. —  STANFORD senior Anna Dawson was named the Pac-12 Women’s Rowing Athlete of the Year, OREGON STATE junior Lauren Still was tabbed Women’s Newcomer of the Year and Cardinal head coach Yasmin Farooq earned Women’s Coach of the Year honors. On the men’s side, STANFORD senior Austin Hack garnered Men’s Athlete of the Year laurels for the second-straight year, CALIFORNIA freshman Justin Murphy received Men’s Newcomer of the Year honors and Washington head coach Michael Callahan was named Men’s Coach of the Year for the fifth-consecutive season. 

 

The Athlete of the Year and Newcomer of the Year awards are given to the top vote-getters based on coaches’ nominations. Candidates for Athlete of the Year must have participated in the varsity eight race at the Pac-12 Championships.

 

Stanford’s Dawson, a native of Christchurch, New Zealand, is a captain for the second-ranked Cardinal, who won its first Pac-12 title in program history at the championships at Lake Natoma, Calif. on May 18.. A four-year contributor, she has stroked the varsity eight all season, highlighted by a Cardinal win over Bay Area rival California. It was the first time since 2009 and just the third time since 1997 that Stanford earned the Lambert Cup—given to the winner of the women’s varsity eight race between the Bears and Cardinal. She is the key reason for Stanford experiencing one of its best seasons in program history.

 

Women’s Newcomer of the Year Lauren Still is in her first full year of competition for Oregon State. Still, who hails from Grants Pass, Ore., joined the program as a novice and worked her way up to the varsity eight by the end of March. She helped the Beavers crack to the CRCA top-20 for the first time since 2010 and anchors a varsity eight that is its strongest at OSU in five years. The junior led the Beavers’ top boat to a win over San Diego at the Pac-12 Challenge and a tie with No. 16 Washington State this season.

 

Stanford’s Yasmin Farooq earned her second Pac-12 Women’s Coach of the Year honor after guiding the Cardinal to a first-place overall finish at the Pac-12 Championships—a first in program history— and the Conference’s automatic berth in the NCAA Championships. Farooq, in her eighth season on the Farm, was also named the Conference’s Coach of the Year in 2008 and is the second Stanford coach to earn the honors. Headlining the year was the Cardinal’s upset of top-ranked California in the annual rivalry row between the two schools—just the third time since 1997 Stanford was able to accomplish the feat. The second-ranked Cardinal are looking for its second national championship under Farooq at the 2014 NCAA Championships this weekend.

 

Stanford’s Austin Hack becomes the first men’s rower to earn Athlete of the Year honors in back-to-back years since the award’s inception in 2008. The Newcomer of the Year in 2012, the senior has had an exceptional rowing career as a Cardinal after coming to the program as the top recruit in the country. The Old Lyme, Conn. native has achieved tremendous success representing both the Cardinal and the United States. He was a member of the U.S. men’s eight that captured gold at the 2011 Under-23 World Championships. Additionally, he is the only American collegiate or national team member to win back-to-back World Championships in a U.S. eight as he was also in the winning boat at the 2010 Junior World Championships. A three-year member of Stanford’s top shell, Hack rowed in the Cardinal’s varsity eight that placed third at the 2014 Pac-12 Championships. As a junior he helped Stanford’s top boat to its first victory over California at the Big Row since 2008. Hack was also honored as the 2014 Men’s Rowing Scholar-Athlete of Year at the championships on May 18. 

 

California freshman Justin Murphy stepped up as an immediate leader for the Bears in his first season of collegiate rowing. The Montclair, N.J. native has been the driving force for the freshmen eight in 2014 and has set the standard on the erg for the team. Murphy, who is projected to be a mainstay for the Bears’ varsity over the next three years, will be competing for a a seat in the 2014 U.S. U23 National Team this summer . 

 

Washington’s Michael Callahan earns top coaching honors for the fifth year in the row as the Huskies were crowned Pac-12 Champions for the fifth-straight season. Overall, Washington has won 37 Conference titles. Callahan, in his seventh year at the helm of UW’s program, led the team to victories in three of the men’s races at the league regatta. The Huskies are going for their fourth-straight national title this weekend at the IRA Championships at Lake Mercer, N.J.

 

By claiming the varsity eight competitions at the Pac-12 Championships, the WASHINGTON men and STANFORD women headline the 2014 Pac-12 Rowing All-Conference teams, which were also announced by the Conference office Thursday.

 

Members of the All-Conference rowing teams are based upon each institution’s finish in the varsity eight race at the Pac-12 Championships, which were held May 18 on Lake Natoma in Gold River, Calif. The conference champion provides four members of the All-Conference team, the Pac-12 second-place crew provides three members and the third-place finisher provides two. All other participating conference crews receive one selection each.