Thursday, June 30, 2011

School-Record Eight Rowers Named to All-ACC Academic Team

DURHAM, N.C. – A school-record eight Duke rowers were named to the All-ACC Academic Rowing Team, including two-time CRCA All-America Alex Japhet, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced Wednesday.



Japhet, a senior Psychology major who has appeared on the All-ACC Academic Team for three straight years, was joined by junior teammates Tori Arendt, Joline Doedens and Rory Erickson-Kulas, and sophomore teammates Sarah Baker, Katie Burke, Justine Hong and Emily Theys.



Duke, ranked No. 24 in the final CRCA National Coaches Poll, had the second most selections to the All-ACC Academic Rowing Team, trailing only Boston College’s 11 honorees. Clemson followed with six selections, and NCAA Champion Virginia placed five on the team. North Carolina placed three student-athletes on the team, and Miami landed two.



Japhet and Erickson-Kulas were both named to the All-ACC team this year after leading Duke’s Varsity Eight to a season-ending upset over No. 20 Notre Dame, No. 25 Louisville and Oklahoma at the Oak Ridge Invitational and a sub-seven minute, third-place performance at the ACC Championship. Theys, Hong and Burke also competed in that boat, while Doedens, Baker and Arendt were fixtures of the 2V8 all season.



Arendt, Burke, Doedens, Erickson-Kulas, Hong and Theys also appeared on the CRCA Scholar-Athlete Team, which honors collegiate rowers who have at least sophomore status and maintain a GPA of at least 3.5 while competing in at least 75 percent of their team’s spring season.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Vannelli Named to Canada Jr. World Championship Team


DURHAM, N.C. – Incoming Duke freshman rower Claire Vannelli was selected to Canada’s 2011 Junior World Rowing Championship team and will represent her nation at the World Rowing Junior Championships in Eton, Great Britain, on August 4-7.

A native of London, Ontario, Vannelli will stroke the junior women’s four at the international event. A product of the Brentwood College Rowing Club, Vannelli has also represented Canada at the CanAmMex Regatta. She also finished third in the single at the Henley Regatta and won the single at the National Rowing Championships of Canada in September, 2010.

Vannelli is one of nine incoming freshmen for 2011-12 that join a Duke program that ranked 24th in the final CRCA Coaches Poll. The Blue Devils have plenty of momentum heading into next season after placing third at the 2011 ACC Championships and taking down a pair of ranked teams in the V8 during the final meet of the year.