Wolverines Rewarded with Four on All-Conference Team
5/15/2022 1:34:00 PM | Rowing
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan rowing program saw four student-athletes named to the All-Big Ten Conference team after its runner-up finish at the Big Ten Championships on Sunday (May 15), the league announced. Graduate students Grace Collins and Kate Burns were awarded first team honors while senior Jessica Schoonbee and graduate student coxswain Charlotte Powers were named second team honorees.
Collins earned All-Big Ten honors last spring (second team), but for the others, this marks their first all-conference recognition. Schoonbee had previously been named Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2019.
All four athletes are part of U-M's first varsity eight (1V8) boat which captured Big Ten silver on Sunday as the team scored 174 points to finish in second place at the Big Ten Championships. These honorees have been part of a historic run during the program's history with two Big Ten team titles and two NCAA top-five finishes during their years competing.
Burns calls Ann Abor her home, and the area native has been a varsity eight rower throughout her career at Michigan. A pivotal member of the team on and off the water, she has largely occupied the fifth through seventh seats in the 1V8 this year, settling in the sixth seat for the conference regatta. Burns has won Big Ten gold (twice) and silver (twice) each year in her career; one gold and one silver in both the 1V8 and 2V8. She won a bronze medal at the NCAA Championships with the 2V8 (2021) as well. She has been an Academic All-Big Ten selection on three occasions and a CRCA Scholar-Athlete twice. Burns has her degree in Industrial and Operations Engineering and is now pursuing a masters degree in the same field at U-M.
Collins has been a critical member of high-scoring boats for her entire career. This season, she has rowed between seats three and seven -- up and down the lineup -- but was in the fifth seat on Sunday. The Ridgefield, Conn., native has been in two Big Ten gold medal-winning boats (1V8, 2019, '21) and two silver medal-winning boats (1V8, 2022; 2V4, 2018). An NCAA spare as a freshman, Collins became a top scorer for the team and collected NCAA bronze with the 1V8 (2019). She was chosen as an All-America nominee in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, and has been a CRCA Scholar-Athlete and two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. Collins has earned her degree in applied exercise science.
Schoonbee was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year following her rookie season in 2019 in the same seat she occupies now: the stroke seat of the 1V8. She has been the rhythm-setter and pacemaker for the team's top boat all spring, and a key to their top speed. Schoonbee helped the boat win B1G gold in 2019 and went on to earn a bronze medal at the NCAA Championships this spring. She was an All-America nominee in the COVID-19 altered season, and has also been an Academic All-Big Ten honoree. Schoonbee has also found international success, having won a silver medal at the Under-23 World Championships for her native South Africa.
The 1V8 coxswain for the entirety of her Michigan career, Powers has been the secret ingredient to the success of the Wolverines' top boat. She helped guide the boat to an NCAA bronze medal in 2018 and at the Big Ten stage, she has won two gold medals (2019, '21) and one silver medal (2018) with the 1V8. In addition to her conference successes, Powers has been recognized nationally: she has been a two-time Pocock All-American (2019, '21) and in the 2020 pandemic-canceled season, was named an All-America honoree.
Senior Lillian Mei was named the team's sportsmanship award honoree. A two-time CRCA Scholar-Athlete and academic All-Big Ten honoree (2020-21), she has been part of two Big Ten gold medal-winning boats in the 1V4 (2019, '21). Mei is a native of San Ramon, Calif. A mechanical engineering major, Mei will enroll in U-M's Masters of Engineering program in the fall.
The Wolverines will await the NCAA selection show on Tuesday (May 17) to learn their official fate. The team's strong performance all season bodes well for its likely inclusion in the at-large field. The team will continue preparations for the NCAA Championships, to be held May 27-29 in Sarasota, Fla. U-M hopes it will be in the championship regatta for the 14th consecutive time and the 22nd time overall.
Players Mentioned
