Virginia Announces 2013 Team Awards

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May 16, 2013

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.—At the Virginia rowing program annual team banquet Monday (May 13), the Cavaliers announced the 2013 awards and honored their graduates.

Senior co-captain Kristine O’Brien was honored with the Coach’s Award for Excellence, while fellow senior co-captain Betsy Nilan won the Magruder Dent Oarsmanship Award given to the person that best exemplifies a Virginia rower. Senior Taylor Levine was recognized with the Susan Swezey Teamwork Award, while athletic trainer Keith Thomson was honored with the Harrick Award for giving of oneself over and above for the program. Graduate student Sarah Cowburn earned the ACC Scholar-Athlete Award and junior Elle Murray won the Leonard Sandridge Endowed Scholarship in honors announced previously at the UVa All-Sports Banquet in early May.

O’Brien is a two-time CRCA First-Team All-American, is a three-time All-ACC recipient and a three-time member of the ACC Crew of the Year. She was a part of the 2012 Varsity Eight that became the eighth Cavalier boat to win an NCAA title.

Nilan was part of the Second Varsity Eight that captured the ACC title this year, while Levine was a 2011 member of the ACC All-Academic squad. Cowburn was on the Varsity Eight with O’Brien in 2012 and also earned CRCA First-Team All-America honors. Murray rowed with the V8 that was named ACC Crew of the Year at last week’s ACC Championship.

In addition to Cowburn, Levine, Nilan and O’Brien, UVa honored its graduates, including Molly Frear, Susanne Grainger, Anna Kobayashi, Erin Metcalf and Ann Reid.

The Cavaliers won their fourth consecutive ACC Championship on Sunday (May 12) to earn a spot at the NCAA Championships, to be held May 31-June 2 in Indianapolis, Ind. Virginia has won the team national championship two out of the last three years (2010 and 2012).