‘Pac-12 Sports Report’ reveals Men’s and Women’s All-Century Rowing teams
SAN FRANCISCO (May 10, 2016) – Pac-12 Networks’ flagship show, ‘Pac-12 Sports Report,’ revealed the Men’s and Women’s Rowing All-Century teams Monday night.
The teams, comprised of 22 rowers and 3 coxswains, were voted on by a panel consisting of coaches, players, administrators and members of the media. Each member of the team was chosen based on their collegiate careers in the Conference.
Out of 85 nominees on the men’s side, Washington leads all schools with eight team selections, followed by California (7), Stanford (4), UCLA (3), Oregon State (2) and USC (1). Spanning over 10 decades, members of the team hold a total of 28 IRA National team titles won. Twenty-two of the 25 members are Olympians, and all-century team members have competed in 39 Olympic games with a total of 26 Olympic medals won.
For the women, out of 57 nominees, Washington leads all schools with 10 team selections, followed by California (7), Stanford (4), UCLA (2), Oregon State (1) and Washington State (1). Twenty-two of the 25 members of the all-century team are Olympians who have competed in 35 Olympic games. In all, members of the team have won 19 Olympic medals.
Ky Ebright (California, 1924-1959) was named the Pac-12 Men’s Rowing Coach of the Century. Ebright is the most successful coach in collegiate and USA history with three Olympic Champion crews (1928, 1932, 1948). The Legendary Cal coach from 1924 to 1959, Ebright's career highlights include six IRA National Championships (1928, 1932, 1934, 1935, 1939, 1949). Given Ebright’s 35-year tenure and results, no other coach has the track record or consistency of high-achieving crews. ‘Ky’ is revered by the Cal community as the true founder of the rowing program and reason that it has enjoyed such national attention during the past century.
The Golden Bears also received the Pac-12 Men’s Rower of the Century honors through Jake Wetzel (California, 1999-2002). A three-time National Champion and Freshmen National Champion, three-time World Champion and five-time World Cup medalist, Wetzel was a four-time National Champion during his tenure at Cal, only losing one dual race in his entire career. He was a key member of the record-setting 1999 varsity as well as the 2001 and 2002 varsities which all went on to win the IRA by comfortable margins. The consummate student-athlete, Jake went on to win the Oxford/Cambridge Boat Race in 2006 while completing his MSc in Financial Economics at Oxford. He would also eventually complete a PhD in Finance at the University of British Columbia. While at Cal, Jake started his international rowing career which would become one of the most successful of all time. Beginning in 1998 and stretching through to 2008, Jake won the World Championships three times in three different boat classes (4+, 4-, and 8+) which shows his versatility as a rower. During that time he also added four World Cup Gold medals and one Bronze medal. His crowning performances have to be in his second and third Olympic Games where he won Silver and Gold, respectively. After an epic, side-by-side race with the British 4- in Athens, Jake's 8+ won in dominating fashion to take the Gold in Beijing.
The Varsity Eight of the Century title goes to the 1936 Washington team. The entire National Championship varsity eight of 1936 represented the U.S. at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, and won the gold medal. The nine members of the boat were honored by the National Rowing Hall of Fame in 1936 and inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1971. Eight of the nine members of the boat won multiple championships, with a total of 18 National Championships in the whole boat.
The Women’s Rowing Coach of the Century is Washington’s Jan Harville, who was with the Huskies from 1988-2003. Harville was a nine-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year and guided the Huskies to three NCAA Championships, including winning the National Championship at the first-ever NCAA sponsored women’s rowing championships in 1997. She repeated in 1998 and won again in 2001. In her 16 seasons as the head coach, Harville produced 11 national championship boats and 41 UW crews captured conference titles. Under Harville, the Huskies placed among the top three at the NCAA Championship regatta every year since the NCAA began sponsoring women's rowing in 1997. In 2002, Harville was the recipient of the national Coach of the Year award and was named the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sports Star of the Year. Harville's varsity eight crew won 13 Pac-10 titles, including a streak of 11 straight from 1992-2002. During her time at Washington, she was the recipient of the National Rowing Foundation Hall of Fame Honor in 1980 and was inducted in 1990. She was inducted to the U.S. Rowing Hall of Fame in 1991. In 2000, Harville took the Huskies to the Henley Royal Regatta, where the Huskies won the Henley Prize, the first women’s trophy awarded since the regatta began in 1839. Harville also coached the women’s quad at the 1996 Olympics. She coached five rowers at Washington who rowed in the Olympics.
Two-time Olympic Gold medalist Eleanor Logan of Stanford was named the Pac-12 Women’s Rower of the Century. Logan captured her first Gold Medal in the United States Women’s Eight during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing while an undergraduate at Stanford. She won her second Gold Medal in the U.S. Women’s Eight in the 2012 Olympics in London. While at Stanford, Logan also helped the Cardinal win its first NCAA championship. A Pac-12 Champion in 1V8, she rowed in V8 that set NCAA course record and Pac-12 Championship record at Lake Natoma. Named 2011 Pac-10 Athlete of the Year and a four-time CRCA First Team All-American. Logan is one of the most versatile women’s rowers in U.S. History: world Champion in W8+ in 2010, 2011 and 2014 World Champion in the women’s four in 2009. Also a World Championship bronze medalist in the women’s pair-2015, she finished fifth in the women’s single at the 2013 World Championships and a World Championship Under-23 bronze medalist 2007.
The Varsity Eight of the Century honors go to the 1997 Washington team. This group won the first-ever NCAA Championship in women’s rowing when the NCAA began sponsoring the event. Six members of this group went on to repeat as NCAA Champions in 1998, and five members of this varsity eight went on to row for their National Teams.
See below for the complete teams:
Pac-12 Men’s Rowing All-Century Team
ROWERS
Jake Wetzel - California, 1999-02
Conn Findlay - USC, 1949-52
Scott Frandsen - California, 2000-02
Sebastian Bea - California, 1996-99
Kevin Still - UCLA, 1980-83
Conlin McCabe - Washington, 2009-13
Duvall Hecht - Stanford, 1949-52
Michael Still - UCLA, 1985-87
David Calder - Washington, 1998-2001
Larry Hough - Stanford, 1963-66
Luke Walton - California, 2000-01
Joey Hansen - Oregon State, 1999-2001
Donald Hume - Washington, 1936-38
Dan Ayrault - Stanford, 1956-1959
Joseph Rantz - Washington, 1935-37
Josh Inman - Oregon State, 2000-02
Mladen Stegic - California, 2001-03
Will Crothers - Washington, 2006-09
Matt Deakin - Washington, 2000-02
Kerry Turner - UCLA, 1976-78
Rob Munn - Washington, 2009-12
Pete Donlon - California, 1925-28
COXSWAINS
Pete Cipollone – California, 1991-94
Robert Moch - Washington, 1935-36
Kent Mitchell - Stanford, 1958-61
COACH OF THE CENTURY
Ky Ebright - California, 1924-1959
ROWER OF THE CENTURY
Jake Wetzel - California, 1999-02
VARSITY EIGHT OF THE CENTURY
Washington, 1936
Pac-12 Women’s Rowing All-Century Team
ROWERS
Eleanor “Elle” Logan - Stanford, 2007-11
Anna Mickelson Cummins – Washington, 1999-02
Erin Cafaro - California, 2006
Carol Bower - UCLA, 1978-79
Megan Kalmoe - Washington, 2004-06
Kristi Norelius - Washington, 1981-82
Grace Luczak – Stanford, 2009-11
Kara Kohler - California, 2010-14
Laurel Korholz - California, 1992-93
Susan Broome - Washington, 1980-82
Shyril O’Steen - Washington, 1980-1981
Jan Palchikoff – UCLA, 1974-75
Sabina Telenska - Washington, 1997-2000
Samantha Magee - Stanford, 2003-06
Rika Geyser - Washington, 1998-01
Iva Obradovic - California, 2009-10
Amy Martin - Oregon State, 1994-96
Megan Dirkmaat - California, 1999-00
Katie Maloney - Washington, 1994-96
Sabrina Kolker - Stanford, 1999-2002
Connie Carpenter Phinney - California, 1979-80
Lisa Roman - Washington State, 2009-12
COXSWAINS
Mary Whipple – Washington, 1999-2002
Betsy Beard - Washington, 1980-83
Jill Costello - California, 2007-10
COACH OF THE CENTURY
Jan Harville - Washington, 1988-2003
ROWER OF THE CENTURY
Eleanor “Elle” Logan - Stanford, 2007-11
VARSITY EIGHT OF THE CENTURY
Washington, 1997