2021-22 Rowing Roster
Jessica Schoonbee
- Class:
- Senior
- Position:
- Port
- Height:
- 5-10
- Hometown:
- Johannesburg, RSA
- High School:
- St. Mary's School Waverly
At Michigan
• Member of two Big Ten Championship Teams (2019, '21)
• World Rowing U23 Medalist (silver, 2019 W2-)
• NCAA Medalist (bronze, 2019 1V8)
• Pocock All-America Nominee (2020)
• All-Big Ten honoree (second team, 2022)
• Big Ten Freshman of the Year (2019)
• Three-time Academic All-Big Ten (2021-22-23)
• Enrolled at the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA), majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Applied Statistics
Senior (2021-22)
• Rowed in the stroke seat of the 2V8 in a scrimmage against Indiana (March 25)
• From the 1V8's stroke seat, sweep Virginia in 6:49.4  and Duke in 6:56.5 at the ACC-Big Ten Challenge (April 2)
• Rowed the 1V8's stroke seat, and timed 6:17.4 against Texas (April 9)
• Rowed in stroke seat of the 1V8 on the first day of the Big Ten Invitational (April 15), timing 6:27.901 to win the morning heat over Rutgers, Virginia and 6:26.148 for second to Brown (-.703) in the afternoonÂ
• Placed second to Stanford with the 1V8 (6:10.330) in the stroke seat on the second day of the Big Ten Invitational (April 16)
• On Senior Day against Louisville (May 1), rowed the 1V8 to a win from the stoke seat with a time of 6:33.6
• From the stroke seat, helped the 1V8 to a silver medal at the Big Ten Championship (May 15) in a time of 6:14.466
• Stroke seat of the 10th-place 1V8 (fourth, Petite Final) at the NCAA Championships (May 29), which timed 6:26.210 to help the team finish 10th
Junior (2020-21)
• Did not compete
Sophomore (2019-20)
• Spring 2020 season canceled due to COVID-19
Freshman (2018-19)
• Big Ten Freshman of the Year
• Part of the Big Ten Boat of the Week (April 2) after wins over Harvard-Radcliffe and Yale
• Made her Michigan debut at the Big Ten-Ivy League Double Dual (March 29-30)
• Stroked the first varsity eight to wins over Harvard-Radcliffe in 6:30.3 and Yale in 6:35.32 at the Big Ten-Ivy League Double Dual (March 29-30)
• Sat stroke as the first varsity eight swept No. 10 Virginia in 6:30.5, and No. 17 Syracuse and Duke in 6:26.5 at the Big Ten-ACC Double Dual (April 6)
• Was in the stroke seat when the first varsity eight beat Rutgers in 6:35.11 and suffered its first loss of the year against Ohio State by 0.94 seconds at OSU's Big Ten Double Dual (April 13)
• Stroked the first varsity four to defeat No. 1 Washington (+1.95) and No. 6 Ohio State in 7:05.68 at Lake Las Vegas (April 20)
• Stroked the first varsity eight as it defeated Louisville and Michigan State in 6:22.8 on Senior Day at Belleville Lake (May 5)
• Helped lead the first varsity eight to a gold medal in 6:22.012 at the Big Ten Championships on Devil's Lake (May 19), rowing in stroke seat
• Stroked the first varsity eight to a bronze medal in 6:08.659 at the NCAA Championships (May 31-June 2), leading to a third-place team finish
Prep
• Received Academic Honors at St. Mary’s School
• Won silver at the 2017 South African Schools Championships in the scull (1X), but won gold in the double and the quad
• Qualified for the Gauteng Squad and later the South African National Squad
• Competed in the Junior Women’s Double event at the Junior World Rowing Championships, finishing in sixth place
• Came in first place at the 2016 South African Schools’ Boat Race in Port Alfred
• Finished first in the double at the 2016 South African Schools Championships
• Qualified for the Gauteng Squad and ultimately the South African National Squad that competed in Rotterdam in the 2016 Junior World Rowing Championships, placing third in the B final and ninth overall
• Awarded a Sport’s Honors Blazer and National Team Colors in 2016
• Placed first at the 2015 South African Schools’ Boat Race in Port Alfred
Personal
• Born September 11, 1999
• Daughter of Mark and Angela Schoonbee
• Father, Mark, rowed at University of Cape Town while mother, Angela, ran track and played soccer
• Brother, Kyle, won a U23 World Rowing Championships silver medal
