Five Wolverines Land on All-Big Ten Team
5/16/2021 2:32:00 PM | Rowing
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan rowing program saw five of its student-athletes named to the All-Big Ten Conference team after capturing its seventh Big Ten championship on Sunday (May 16), the league announced. Seniors Annika Hoffmann, Madison Byrd and Tayla-May Bentley were named first-team selections, while Lilia Duncan and Grace Collins earned second-team distinction.
For Bentley and Byrd (second team, 2019), this marks their second respective honors from the conference. Hoffmann, Collins and Duncan are first-time honorees.
All five athletes row in U-M's first varsity eight (1V8) boat, which captured Big Ten gold on Sunday en route to the program's 191 total points -- a Michigan best and the second-highest score in Big Ten history. Each of them also was on the roster for the team's 2019 Big Ten title and for the team's 2019 NCAA Championships podium finish, which saw the team place third nationally.
Hoffmann is a native of Geelong, Australia, and has been a varsity contributor for the Wolverines since she stepped on campus in the fall of 2017. Hoffmann always has rowed in the 1V8 and 2V8 boats, and exclusively in the former since beginning her sophomore year. She has won Big Ten gold (1V8, 2019) and silver (2V8, 2018) with a bronze medal at the 2019 NCAA Championships as well.
This spring as a senior, she has rowed up and down the lineup, settling into stroke seat over the final month of the regular season. Hoffmann is the fastest starboard rower on the team in pairs. Off the water, she graduated with degrees in political science and comparative literature. Hoffmann has been named to two CRCA All-Academic teams and has twice been named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar. She was also presented NCAA Elite 90 at the 2019 event thanks to a pristine 4.0 grade-point average.
A former walk-on, Byrd has been a two-year staple in the 1V8 after beginning her career in the 2V8. She became a major contributor for the Wolverines during her career after an amateur volleyball career. Byrd was a second team CRCA All-American in 2019 and was nominated in 2020. She has won Big Ten gold (1V8, 2019) and silver (2V8, 2018) with a bronze medal at the NCAA Championships as well. This marks Byrd's second career conference honor.
During the spring 2021 season, Byrd has rowed between the fifth and seventh seats of the 1V8. In a season with lineup and schedule changes regularly, Byrd has been a steady presence for the Wolverines. Off the water, she recently graduated with a degree in English with a minor in global studies.
Bentley also is receiving her second conference recognition, not including the conference Freshman of the Year honors she won in 2017. She has been a force for the Maize and Blue, rowing exclusively in the top boat, the 1V8. Having come to U-M from Johannesburg, R.S.A., Bentley has brought home the hardware during her time as a Wolverine. In addition to individual honors, she has won Big Ten gold (1V8, 2019) and silver (1V8, 2017) while helping U-M to two top-five NCAA finishes.
This spring, Bentley has sat between fourth and seventh in the 1V8. Her leadership is of high value to the team and she has been a strong performer for the Wolverines. A CRCA Scholar-Athlete and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, Bentley graduated with degrees in communications and psychology and a minor in entrepreneurship.
Duncan is a standout senior for the Wolverines who began her career as a varsity four athlete. She grew her abilities and improved her skills, working her way into faster boats throughout her career. She won Big Ten silver (2V4, 2018) before this year, but today's gold medal is her first as a Wolverine. As she became an upperclassman, Duncan has become a lynchpin piece of the speedy and successful championship lineup, especially as a senior in the 1V8. In 2020, she was an All-America nominee.
Duncan has been mostly between the fourth and sixth seats this spring, bringing a long stroke and valued experience to the Wolverine lineup. She also is accomplished in the classroom, where she is a Master of Health Informatics student set to graduate in 2022 and has an undergraduate degree in community and public health. Duncan also has been named Academic All-Big Ten.
Collins has worked her way from the varsity four boats up to U-M's 1V8 during her career. She hails from Ridgefield, Conn., where she learned the sport. Collins won Big Ten gold (1V8, 2019) and silver (2V4, 2018) during her career and was part of the bronze medal-winning 1V8 at the 2019 NCAA Championships.
Another of U-M's All-America nominees from 2020, Collins has been up and down the 1V8 lineup from stroke to fourth seat this spring. Wherever she has sat, she has been a contributor, and she is the only of U-M's five honorees expected back next season. An Academic All-Big Ten recipient, Collins is an applied exercise science major and business minor.
The team's sportsmanship honoree is Ally Eggleton. Eggleton hails from Thomaston, Conn., and is a psychology-environment dual major. Beginning her career on the novice roster, Eggleton has been part of two Big Ten medal-winning boats, claiming bronze with the 1N8 as a freshman (2018) and silver with the 3V4 as a sophomore (2019). This spring, she has rowed in the second and third varsity four boats and helped her boats beat Syracuse, Iowa, Ohio State, Michigan State and Louisville.
As automatic qualifiers, the Wolverines will now continue preparations for the NCAA Championships, to be held May 28-30 in Sarasota, Fla. U-M will compete in its 13th consecutive postseason event, the 21st time overall.
Players Mentioned
