Five Tiger Rowers Named National Scholar Athletes by CRCA

May 22, 2006

The Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) announced its list of National Scholar Athletes for the 2006 season on Monday. The award recognizes student-athletes with a 3.5 cumulative GPA or higher that competed in 75 percent of her team’s 2006 spring races. Also, the student-athletes must be upperclassmen (2nd, 3rd, or 4th year) in terms of eligibility and their head coaches must be good standing members of the CRCA.

A total of 135 student-athletes from 50 different schools were honored for their efforts during the 2006 season. The Mid-Atlantic Region produced 44 selections amongst 16 different schools. The institution with the most selections overall was the University of Central Florida (UCF) out of the South Region with six honorees. Clemson, Delaware, Rhode Island, Villanova, and Yale each produced five National Scholar Athletes.

Representing the Tiger program as this season are Ford Heiner, Lizzy Jennings, Suzanne Van Fleet. Each of Clemson’s five student-athletes competed in the varsity 8+ at some point this spring. Rath (Psychology), who earned All-ACC honors in 2006, was a CRCA National Scholar Athlete in 2004 as well. She recently earned her undergraduate degree from Clemson. It marked the first such honor for Gamble (Political Science), Heiner (Undeclared), Jennings (Political Science), and Van Fleet (Early Childhood Education).

The five selections tied for the most ever by a Clemson rowing team, matching the 2003 and 2004 seasons.