Hoffmann, Rothstein Named Big Ten Athlete, Coach of the Year
5/19/2021 11:00:00 AM | Rowing
• Watch: Hoffmann Talks About B1G Rowing Athlete of the Year Honor
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- On the heels of the program's memorable performance at the Big Ten Championships on Sunday (May 16), the No. 6-ranked University of Michigan rowing program was rewarded on Wednesday (May 19) with postseason conference honors for senior Annika Hoffmann and head coach Mark Rothstein.
Rothstein was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the sixth time in his career, while Hoffmann was announced as Big Ten Athlete of the Year.
"It is exciting for our team and for Annika to collect these Big Ten honors," said Rothstein. "We are extremely proud of all that she has accomplished, and she stepped up in a big way this season to help the success of our first varsity eight boat."
"Annika is a key member of our senior leadership group, and it's no surprise to us that her final season has been her best. I like to say our program is always better when it's led by seniors, and Annika is one of those leaders for us."
On his own recognition, Rothstein shared the honor with his staff.
"I am fortunate to have the best group of assistant coaches I could ask for in Liz Tuppen, Emily Sugiyama and Dan Harrison." he said. "The way we run our program, each of them is critical to our success, and this team and season are not the same without all the contributions they make towards helping Michigan Rowing perform at its best."
Rothstein's honor is the sixth of his career (2000 [co-], 2001, '04, '12, '19). Under his direction, U-M has won or been runner-up at 16 of 21 Big Ten Championships. Michigan has earned a top-10 ranking in the preseason in four of the last five years, and has been a top-seven ranked team all year long in 2021.
At the Big Ten Championships, Michigan medaled in all seven events, with a team-record six gold medals (1V8, 2V8, 1V4, 2V4, 3V4, and 1N8) and one silver medal (2N8). The six event wins are a program best, eclipsing the four boat victories that U-M had recorded in 2019. Michigan's 191 points scored marked the second year running that U-M has set a new program-best score at the conference regatta. It also is the second-highest score in Big Ten Championship history.
Hoffmann's honor marks the eighth time a Wolverine has been named Athlete of the Year. Previous winners include Caroline Hendershot (2019), Kendall Brewer (co- 2018), Felice Mueller (2012), Heather Mandoli (2004), Erin Kopicki (2003), and Kate Johnson (2000-01).
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 has always 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) Â prior to this year's team and boat titles with a bronze medal at the 2019 NCAA Championships as well.
This spring as a senior, Hoffmann has rowed up and down the lineup, settling into stroke seat over the final month of the regular season and at the Big Ten Championships. 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.
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 NCAA Regatta and 21st overall.
• Big Ten Release
Players Mentioned
