Four Wolverines Earn CRCA All-America Honors
7/8/2021 2:35:00 PM | Rowing
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Following a season that saw the Wolverines defend their Big Ten championship and place fourth at the NCAA Championships, the University of Michigan rowing program had four student-athletes named All-Americans on Thursday (July 8) by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) and Pocock Racing. Michigan boasts one first team All-American in Annika Hoffmann and a trio of second team All-Americans in Tayla-May Bentley, Lilia Duncan and coxswain Charlotte Powers.
Powers was a first team All-American in 2019, and she and Duncan were All-America nominees in 2020. For Bentley and Hoffmann, this honor represents their first All-American distinction.
All four athletes rowed in U-M's first varsity eight (1V8) boat, which captured a Big Ten gold medal en route to the program's 191 total points -- a Michigan-best and the second-highest score in Big Ten history. All four were named All-Big Ten with Hoffmann the conference Athlete of the Year. They were part of a fourth-place boat at the NCAA Championships which outperformed the boat's No. 5 seed and helped the Wolverines place fourth in the country.
Each of them also were on the roster for the team's 2019 Big Ten Title, and for the team's 2019 NCAA Championships podium finish, which saw Michigan place third.
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 twice won Big Ten gold (1V8 in 2019, '21) and silver (2V8, 2018) with a bronze medal at the 2019 NCAA Championships as well.
This spring as a senior, Hoffmann rowed up and down the lineup, settling into stroke seat over the final month of the regular season. She 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 three CRCA All-Academic teams and has twice been named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar. She also was presented NCAA Elite 90 at the 2019 event thanks to a pristine 4.0 grade-point average.
Bentley is another two-time All-Big Ten honoree, with first team honors in 2021. She was a force for the Maize and Blue during her career which began with 2017 Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors, rowing exclusively in the top boat, the 1V8. Having come to U-M from Johannesburg, R.S.A., Bentley brought home the hardware during her time as a Wolverine. In addition to individual honors, she twice won Big Ten gold (1V8 in 2019, '21) and silver (1V8, 2017) while helping U-M to three top-five NCAA finishes.
This spring, Bentley sat between fourth and seventh in the 1V8. Her leadership was of high value to the team and she had been a strong performer for the Wolverines. A two-time CRCA Scholar-Athlete and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, Bentley graduated with degrees in communications and psychology.
Duncan was a standout senior for the Wolverines, beginning 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 gold (1V8, 2021) and silver (2V4, 2018). As she became an upperclassman, Duncan became a linchpin piece of the speedy and successful championship lineup, especially as a senior in the 1V8. In 2020, she was an All-America nominee, but this is her first formal honor.
Duncan was mostly between the fourth and sixth seats this spring, bringing a long stroke and valued experience to the Wolverine lineup. She also was accomplished in the classroom as a masters of health informatics student with an undergraduate degree in community and public health. She also has been named Academic All-Big Ten.
Powers has coxed the U-M 1V8 since the start of the 2019 season, leading the boat to two Big Ten Titles and one NCAA Medal (bronze, 2019). The 1V8 has won Big Ten gold twice (2019, '21), and Powers led the 2V8 boat to a Big Ten silver medal and a fourth-place finish at NCAAs as a freshman (2018).
A psychology major from Fairfield, Conn., Powers raced with the 1V8 each and every week this spring. She was a Pocock All-America Nominee in 2020 and was a CRCA All-American in 2019 (first team), making her one of two Wolverines to receive repeat honors this year. In the classroom, she is a two-time academic all-conference honoree.
Michigan had 16 student-athletes named Scholar-Athletes last month by the CRCA.
Players Mentioned
