Three Rowers Earn All-America Honors
6/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
June 14, 2008
East Lansing, Mich. - Michigan State senior rowers Anne Cowan (London, Ontario) and Joanna Brown (Tecumseh, Mich.) have been selected as All-Americans by Pocock and the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA). Cowan appears on the first team, while Brown was a second-team pick. In addition, classmate Kate Burdick (Ann Arbor, Mich.) has been named a first team Academic All-America by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and ESPN Magazine.
"We're very proud of Anne, Joanna, and Kate" noted Michigan State head coach Matt Weise. "They have been major contributors to our success over their careers, and helped us to the best season in program history with a Big Ten and Central Region title this year. So much of that success came from the leadership in our senior class."
All three rowed in three NCAA Championship regattas over their collegiate careers. The trio rowed in the varsity boat as both sophomores and seniors, when the Spartans rowed to sixth-place finishes, the highest-ever finish for MSU at the NCAA Championship event. All three were in the second varsity boat as freshmen (2005) as well. The varsity boat went 7-2 in dual racing this season, captured the program's second-ever Big Ten title.
Cowan was also named the Big Ten Athlete of the Year for rowing, earned first-team All-Big Ten honors as well as Academic All-Big Ten accolades, and was also a first team CRCA All-Region selection. Cowan is the seventh MSU athlete to be named a CRCA/Pocock First Team All-American.
Brown was a first team All-Big Ten pick as well, and added Academic All-Big Ten, CRCA All-Central Region, and CRCA Scholar-Athlete honors to her resume as well. She is the fifth Spartan to earn second-team All-America honors.
Burdick was selected to the All-Big Ten second team, and earned first team All-Region honors after MSU captured that title. A 3.99 GPA as a kinesiology major, Burdick was an Academic All-Big Ten pick, earned CRCA All-Academic kudos, and also won MSU's President's Award at the Student-Athlete Support Service's Academic Gala. The President's Award is given annually to the graduating male and female in the graduating senior class. It was the second straight year that Burdick earned Academic All-America honors.
