SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Sacramento State senior rower Laura Harder was the recipient of National Scholar Athlete honors, and junior Janine LaCrosse was named second team all-West Region, it was announced by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) today.
Harder became the third Sacramento State rower to receive the National Scholar Athlete award three-consecutive years, joining Mieke Boynton (2000-02) and Megan Spitze (2000-02). The award recognizes student-athletes with a 3.5 or higher cumulative grade point average that have competed in 75 percent of the team''s spring races. Harder was one of 23 student-athletes from the West Region to receive the award.
LaCrosse was named all-West Region for the first time during her career, and becomes the 10th Sacramento State rower to receive all-region honors since the program gained intercollegiate status in 1995. The Gold River, Calif., native was one of 22 student-athletes to earn all-West Region honors.
Both Harder and LaCrosse were named first team all-Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association earlier this season after they helped lead the Hornets to their first WIRA championship since 2001 and the fourth in program history (1995, 2000, 2001, 2006). The WIRAs serve as Sacramento State''s conference championship.
Harder sat in the stroke seat with the Hornets'' varsity eight for the second-consecutive year. In fact, the Redlands, Calif., native has competed with Sacramento State''s top boat (varsity eight) in 54-consecutive spring races dating back to her freshman season (2003). A team co-captain, she has a 3.67 gpa as an accounting major and graduated from Sacramento State this past weekend.
Harder finished her career as one of just eight four-year letterwinners in Sacramento State rowing program history (1995-pres). A letter is given to student-athletes who compete with the team''s varsity eight, second varsity eight or varsity four during the season. Harder began her career with the Hornets as a freshman in 2003 with no previous rowing experience. She began that year with the team''s novice eight, before moving up to the second varsity eight, and finally the varsity eight midway through the 2003 season. Since that time, she has never missed a race with the varsity eight and the team''s top boat has posted a 24-2 dual-meet record over that span.
LaCrosse competed with the Hornets'' varsity eight in every race this season, including 11 appearances in the three seat, and two appearances in the two seat. LaCrosse, who also competed primarily with the team''s top boat in 2004, is the owner of a team-best time of 7:04.5 in the 2,000-meter ergometer test.
LaCrosse is also a two-time all-WIRA selection, having earned second team honors last season. During her first three years with Sacramento State, LaCrosse has yet to compete with a boat that has finished anything worse than second at the WIRA Championships. During her freshman year, she stroked the novice eight to a silver medal, she sat in the six seat with the silver-medal winning second varsity eight in 2005, and competed in the three seat with the gold-medal winning varsity eight this year.
