Sept. 3, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Lindsay Shoop, a Charlottesville native and former Virginia All-America rower, won a gold medal in the eight on Sunday (Sept. 2) while rowing for the United States' team at the World Rowing Championships in Munich, Germany. The victory qualified the United States' in that event for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.

Shoop also earned a gold medal and helped establish a world record with the United States' eight at the 2006 World Championships. She graduated from The Covenant School in Charlottesville and earned her undergraduate degree from UVa in 2003.

Melanie Kok, another former Virginia All-America rower, earned a bronze medal in the light single while rowing for Canada in the 2007 World Championships. Kok won a gold medal in the light quad while rowing for Canada in the 2005 World Championships. She graduated from UVa last spring.

Two other former Virginia All-America rowers enjoyed success rowing for the United States at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Margaret Matia won a gold medal in the double and earned a silver medal in the quad, and Jennifer Reck earned a bronze medal in the pair competition. Matia graduated from UVa in 2005 and Reck in 2004.

Current Virginia rowers also competed internationally this summer. Sophomores Emelia Colman-Shepherd (Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada) and Lauren Hutchins (North Vancouver, Canada) were members of the Canadian eight that finished fourth at the Under-23 World Championships in Strathclyde, Scotland. Sophomore Jennifer Cromwell (Bellevue, Wash.) finished sixth in the pair for the United States at the Under-23 World Championships.

Freshmen Lauren Shook (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich.) and Claudia Blandford (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) competed in the 2007 Junior World Championships in Beijing, China, on the 2008 Olympics course. Shook earned a bronze medal in the eight for the United States' team, while Blandford won the D final in the double for Canada.