Wolverines Place Five on All-Big Ten Team
5/19/2019 3:09:00 PM | Rowing
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan rowing program had five of its student-athletes named to the All-Big Ten team after winning the Big Ten Championships on Sunday (May 19). Seniors Victoria Glunt, Kathryn Grotto, and Caroline Hendershot were first-team selections, while juniors Tayla-May Bentley and Madison Byrd were named second-team honorees.
"We are very proud of Caroline, Victoria, Katie, Tayla-May, and Madison for being recognized as All-Big Ten rowers," said head coach Mark Rothstein.
"Each of them has worked very hard to reach this point and they were critical to our success as a team this season. Caroline, Victoria, Katie, Tayla-May, and Madison are part of our 1V8 boat, which had a great championship race and a great season. They are all deserving of the honors they have received and we are glad to have them representing Michigan."
All five row in the 1V8, which captured a Big Ten gold medal on Sunday en route to leading the program to its first conference title since 2012.
A native of Stimsbury, Connecticut, Hendershot has been a valuable contributor to the program for four years. She has rowed exclusively in the first varsity eight this season and moved up to the seven seat for these Big Ten Championships.
Hendershot has been a mainstay in the varsity eight boats throughout her career at Michigan. She began as a 2V8 contributor as a freshman and sophomore (2016-17), rowing in the NCAA third-place and Big Ten Title-winning 2V8 boat in 2017. As an upperclassman, Hendershot has found success rowing in bow seat. She helped U-M win a silver medal in the 1V8 at the 2018 Big Ten Championships and has retained that positioning for most of the 2019 season.
Hendershot was part of the Big Ten Boat of the Week on April 2 and also is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. Hendershot has earned her degree in communications and plans to pursue a career in broadcast journalism.
Glunt is a native of Concord, Ohio, and a former walk-on turned steady contributor for the U-M program. As a novice in 2016, she helped the 1N8 win a silver medal at the Big Ten Championships, and Glunt has been part of many successful boats since then. She spent the 2017 season bouncing between the 1V4 and 2V8 boats before helping the former win a Big Ten gold medal and go on to place fifth in the nation at the NCAA Championships.
This spring, Glunt has helped the 1V8 remain fast all spring. She was part of the Big Ten Boat of the Week (April 2) of which Hendershot was a member, and has mostly contributed from the four and five-seats. Glunt is also accomplished off the water, with two Academic All-Big Ten honors under her belt, in addition to one Big Ten Distinguished Scholar distinction (2017) and one CRCA Scholar-Athlete honor (2018). Glunt has earned a degree in Industrial and Operations Engineering.
Grotto hails from Weston, Connecticut, and is another reliable contributor for the Maize and Blue. She began her career in the 2V4 boat and won a gold medal at the Big Ten Championships as a freshman (2016) before moving to the 2V8 lineup as a sophomore (2017). She won a gold medal at the Big Ten Championships and joined Hendershot as an NCAA medalist. Grotto bounced back and forth between the first and second varsity eight boats in 2018, finishing second at Big Tens and fourth at the NCAA Championships with the 2V8.
This spring, Grotto has been a staple in the two seat for the 1V8. She was also part of the April 2-named Big Ten Boat of the Week and is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree with a degree in psychology.
A Fort Wayne, Indiana, native, Byrd is one of two non-seniors to find her way onto Michigan's list of honorees. Like Glunt, she joined the program as a novice during her freshman year at U-M and quickly joined the varsity lineup. As a sophomore, Byrd rowed in the 2V8 boat, winning a silver medal at the Big Ten Championships and finishing fourth nationally at the NCAA Championships.
This spring, the English major has rowed exclusively in the first varsity eight, mostly from the three seat. She was part of the Big Ten Boat of the Week (April 2) along with all four of her fellow honorees.
Michigan's second junior All-Big Ten performer, Bentley is a native of Johannesburg, South Africa. This recognition marks Bentley's second career Big Ten Accolade after she was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2017. Bentley made a quick impact on the lineup, and is now in her third year contributing to the first varsity eight boat. She finished fifth in the NCAA as part of that lineup in 2017, and finished fourth nationally in 2018 with the 2V8 after an injury kept her from competing at the Big Ten Championships.
Like her fellow honorees, Bentley was part of the Big Ten Boat of the Week (April 2). She has moved up and down the 1V8 lineup this spring, but rowed mostly in seats two through four.
U-M continues to rack up Big Ten accolades in the postseason. In addition to Bentley, Meghan Gutknecht was also Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2016, and Kendall Brewer was Co-Big Ten Athlete of the Year last spring.
Michigan will compete at the NCAA Champiosnships for the 12th consecutive season and 20th time overall next weekend (May 31-June 2) in Indianapolis, Indiana, at Eagle Creek Reservoir.
Players Mentioned
