Rowing: Four Earn Academic Honor
May 26, 2010 04:21 PM | General
May 26, 2010
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| Kimberly Benda |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Four members of the West Virginia University rowing team have been named Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) National Scholar-Athletes for the 2009-10 academic year.
Graduates Kimberly Benda and Brett Krumholz, as well as rising senior Rachel Viglianco and junior Shannon Gribbons, earned the recognition.
Student-athletes eligible for the honor must have attained a minimum 3.5 cumulative grade point average, raced in the team’s top boats for 75 percent of the spring season and completed at least their second year of eligibility.
“Having student-athletes that continually strive for excellence in both their academics and athletics is routine across all sports at WVU and a reflection of the pride these Mountaineers have in what they do,” says coach Jimmy King. “Kim, Brett, Rachel and Shannon are the epitome of the term ‘student-athlete’ and I truly appreciate how well they continually represent our team.”
Benda, a two-year captain, earns her third-straight honor on the heels of receiving her diploma for animal & nutritional sciences. The 2009-10 BIG EAST Institutional Female Scholar-Athlete raced in the top boat throughout her four-year career and helped lead the Mountaineers to a sixth-place finish at this year’s conference championships. A Comox, B.C., native, Benda also was named to the inaugural all-BIG EAST first team this season.
Krumholz’s second-consecutive honor coincides with her graduation from WVU with a degree in exercise physiology. A three-year rower, the Reading, Pa., native spent one season on the novice squad before competing with the varsity squad the last two seasons as a part of the Varsity 8+ boat.
Viglianco, a secondary English education major, secured her second honor as a member of the Varsity 8+ boat. The St. Albans, W.Va., native is a member of the WVU Honors College and has earned a spot on the President’s List the last six semesters.
Gribbons earns her first honor in her initial year of eligibility. A Port Elgin, Ontario, native, Gribbons recently completed her first season with the varsity squad. The chemical engineering major was named the team’s Iron Mountaineer and received the squad’s Hammer Award this season.
The Mountaineers completed a competitive year on May 3 at the ECAC Regatta in Camden County, N.J. Highlights from the 2010 spring campaign include a sixth-place finish at the 2010 BIG EAST Championships and the selection of Benda and Caroline Rettig onto all-BIG EAST squads.
