The Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association named six members of the Triton women’s rowing program as recipients of national postseason awards. In the May 24 announcement, senior Alexis Kleckner was named a Division II All-American, while senior Elizabeth Jones, junior Joyce Chang and sophomores Cara Kuebert, Arianna Pilram and Lauren Ruiz were honored as CRCA Scholar Athletes for 2004.
Kleckner, a native of Rialto, Calif., was one of 10 women across the country selected for the All-American title after passing intense criterion to verify that she is one of this season’s best athletes in the sport.
Head coach Pattie Pinkerton nominated Kleckner as one of a maximum of four athletes from the UCSD team who would be eligible for the award.
The requirements for being considered for All-American status are divided between an athlete’s dedication to rowing and the impression of that athlete in the eyes of her team and the institution for which she rows.
Kleckner had to be eligible for the honor by UCSD standards, then nominated by the university. She was required to have competed in 75 percent of the team’s total races in the 2004 season and rowed in 75 percent of the varsity boat’s races.
Once Kleckner’s eligibility was established, she was rated relative to every other eligible entry on her team’s strength of schedule, the Tritons’ regular-season record, the end of the season regatta results, her nomination rank, comments submitted by Pinkerton and on her 2,000-meter erg score.
Eight All-Americans, one alternate and one coxswain were selected by a committee of Regional Chairpersons on May 17.
The final list of All-Americans included rowers from eight schools across the country, including two athletes each from Mercyhurst College in Erie, Penn., and Western Washington University.
Out of a total list of 20, five Tritons were elected CRCA Division II National Scholar Athletes, more than Humboldt State and Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla., which were close seconds with four rowers each selected for the honor.
Criteria set by the CRCA for National Scholar Athletes include a 3.5 GPA through the fall of the current year, having at least sophomore status, having rowed in a minimum of 75 percent of her team’s varsity races and having a coach in good standing in the CRCA.
Jones, a cognitive neuroscience major, is from Sunnyvale, Calif. Teammate Chang, from Redwood Shores, Calif., studies bioengineering. Kuebert, a Newbury Park, Calif., native and Lauren Ruiz of Indio, Calif., are management science majors. Pilram studies communication and filmmaking and comes to UCSD from Campbell, Calif.
The Triton women’s varsity eight boat rounded out its 2004 campaign in third place in the West Region, missing an NCAA National Championship berth by one position.
The championship regatta will be held June 4 and June 5 at Rancho Cordova, Calif.
