Johnson, Rothstein Repeat as Big Ten Award Winners

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- For the second consecutive season, senior co-captain Kate Johnson (Portland, Ore./Jesuit HS) and head coach Mark Rothstein of the University of Michigan women's program have been honored as the Big Ten Conference women's rowing Athlete and Coach of the Year, respectively, the league office announced today (Tuesday, May 1). Both awards were selected by a vote of the league head coaches.

	Johnson		Rothstein

Johnson led the Wolverines' first varsity eight to five consecutive victories and the No. 2 spot in the USRowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches' Association poll before suffering an injury which kept her out of the first varsity eight lineup for the first time in her career. She is Michigan's most decorated rower, with accomplishments which include two selections to the Collegiate Rowing Coaches' Association All-America first team, two selections to the CRCA All-Central Region first team, two selections as the Big Ten Women's Rowing Athlete of the Year (2000, 2001), three consecutive years as the U-M Athlete of the Year (1999, 2000 and 2001) and being named the 1998 U-M Freshman of the Year.

Johnson and teammate Alison Hickey (Scituate, Mass./Noble and Greenough HS) are the only two rowers in the five-year history of the program to row in the first varsity eight all four years of their career. In addition to her collegiate career, Johnson's international experience includes three trips to the Nations Cup, one of the world's premier regattas, where she has led Team USA's straight-four to a silver and bronze medal.

Rothstein, the only head coach in the five-year history of Michigan's varsity rowing program, led the Wolverines to their second consecutive Big Ten championship last Saturday (April 28) on Belleville Lake in Belleville, Mich. The team won all three NCAA scoring events (First Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight and First Varsity Four) in addition to capturing the First Novice Eight title. For the second consecutive year at the championships, Michigan was the only school to finish among the top three in each of the six events.

So far this season, the team's first varsity eight, second varsity eight and first varsity four are all undefeated and have earned the team the No. 2 spot in the USRowing/CRCA poll for the last two weeks. In each of the last three seasons, Rothstein has guided the team to a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships.

After taking this weekend off, the Wolverines return to action May 12-13 at the Central Region Rowing Championships in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The NCAA Championships are May 24-26 on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Ga.

Contact: Jason Gerdom (734) 763-4423

University of Michigan Athletics

Related News

Players Mentioned

Alison Hickey

Kate Johnson

Related Videos