Aug. 7, 2009

Greensboro, NC - Atlantic Coast Conference Rowing Scholar-Athlete of the Year Michelle Nance of Clemson leads the 2009 All-ACC Academic Team announced Friday by Commissioner John D. Swofford.

Nance, a senior from Simpsonville, S. C., who is majoring in Language and International Trade, is a repeat selection to the All-ACC Academic Rowing team, having been chosen to the 2008 squad and was a first-team All-ACC selection this year after helping to lead her boat and team to its first-ever Atlantic Coast Conference Rowing Championship. Nance rowed on the Tigers' First Varsity Eight boat which defeated Virginia for the first time in the 10-year history of the ACC's Rowing Championships. Nance was also honored as a national scholar-athlete by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA). Named to the ACC's Crew of the Year, she is also a two-time member of the ACC's Academic Honor Roll.

A total of two All-Americans, 12 CRCA Scholar-Athletes and three CRCA All-Region honorees are featured on the 2009 All-ACC Academic Rowing Team. The 34 rowers were selected from a pool of 117 nominees from the ACC's six schools who sponsor rowing--Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Miami, North Carolina and Virginia--an impressive average of almost 20 nominees per school.

To be nominated for the ACC All-Academic team, student-athletes must have recorded a minimum of a 3.0 grade point average in the winter semester and have maintained a 3.0 career GPA at their respective schools. Once the qualification standard is met, selection to the team is then based on a combination of academic and athletic achievement.

The CRCA All-Americans were Clemson's Jessica Leidecker of Westerville, Ohio, who earned first-team honors, and the Tigers' Brittany Cummings of Virginia Beach, Va., who was a second-team selection. Additionally, Miami senior Rachel Sporko, earned second-team CRCA All-Region honors.

The three members of Clemson's National Champion First Varsity Four boat were juniors Alison Colberg of Six Mile, S.C., Callen Erdecky of Bowie, Md. and Meredith Razzolini of Rowsell, Ga. Clemson's win at this year's NCAA National Championships marked the fifth national event title by an ACC team and the first by any other school besides Virginia.

A total of 11 rowers repeated from last year's All-ACC Academic team, including Nance, Megan Bendik of Clemson (Marietta, Ga.), Laura Cordner of Miami (Melbourne, Victoria), Sara Couch of Duke (London, Ky.),Elizabeth Keyser of Boston College (Bala Cynwyd, Pa.), Tracy Maciolek (Howell, N.J.) of Boston College, Nicole Rau (Wyoming, Mich.) of Clemson, Mairi Trimboli of Clemson (Ludlow, Vt.), Emily Wingrove of Miami (Gloucester, Va.), Katherine Wood of North Carolina (Cornelius, N.C.) and Ruby Woodside of North Carolina (Natick, Mass.). Additionally, Katrina Weschler of Duke (Wilmette, Ill.) makes her second appearance on the team, having earned a spot on the 2007 ACC All-Academic Rowing team.

Clemson led all schools with 11 selections followed by Miami with six honorees, Duke with five, and Boston College, North Carolina and Virginia with four each.

Nance was one of nine All-ACC honorees who also earned selection to the All-ACC Academic team. Joining Nance were Leidecker, Bendik and Cummings of Clemson; Maciolek and Laura Harvey (Wethersfield, Conn.) of Boston College; Cordner and Wingrove of Miami; and Lesley King (New Castle, Wash.) of Duke.

The 12 CRCA scholar-athletes who were also selected for the ACC All-Academic team, included Maciolek and Heather Schofield (Concord, N.H.) of Boston College; Nance, Bendik, Colberg and Melanie McDaniel (Austin, Tex.) of Clemson; Allyson Hodgkins (Wakefield, Mass.) and Monica Sajincic (Piran, Slovenia) of Miami; Wood, Kasey Munson (New Iberia, La.) and Chandler Sours of North Carolina; and Lauren Nelson (Kansas City, Mo.) of Virginia.