Eph seniors Allison Prevatt (Arnold, MD), Katherine Robinson
(Marysville, WA) and Sam Smith (Concord, MA) have been named First
Team Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) Pocock
All-Americans.
Williams was the only team to place more than one athlete on the
First Team. See
complete First and Second Teams here.
Prevatt, the coxswain, earned All-America honors for the second
consecutive year. A four-year member of the Eph team Prevatt has
directed the Ephs to three straight NCAA titles, won New Englands
twice and the ECACs once.
"The biggest compliment I can give to a coxswain is to say that
she is a "difference maker," said Eph head coach Justin Moore. "As
a coach, I cannot overstate the significance of her ability to
improve a crew from within. It is now a common practice for
me to start a practice with the 1V, and once I am convinced that
Allison has grasped the concept that we are working on, she will
finish it. This serves the team wonderfully, in that the 1V
takes their coach on the water with them each time they row, and
the 2V gets extra attention at the end of each practice."
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| Allison Prevatt '09 |
"The other area where Allison stands apart from coxswains
I’ve coached in the past, is that I no longer feel compelled
to develop a detailed race plan. As each week begins, Allison
and I discuss the goals for the crew, and basic concepts about how
we would like the boat to approach the racing in the week
ahead. Allison then takes this “broad sketch” and
fills in all the detail. She has proven to have a knack for
knowing which moments are the most crucial in close racing
situations – something that few coxswains truly understand,
and has turned things to our advantage. To say that we will miss
her next year would be an understatement!"
Stroke and captain Katherine Robinson was recently invited to the
U 23 Lightweight National Team Selection Camp and has collected her
first All-American honor this season. A four-year member of the Eph
team Robinson has progressed from being a Novice to a
multiple-national champion in her Williams career.
Prevatt, a double major (English and history) was recently
named to the Second Team District 1 ESPN the Magazine Academic
All-American team.
"Katherine embodies all of the qualities we hope the women in our
program will possess upon graduation," notes Moore. "She is
mature and assumes great responsibility for not only her own
performance, but also those of her team and teammates. She
has the 'long view' of success and the discipline to accomplish her
goals through consistent effort and perseverance when things become
difficult. Over the course of her four years she has rowed in
the novice 8+, the 2V8+, both sides in the varsity boat and is now
stroking the 1V that is currently undefeated. Additionally,
Katherine won the U23 division at the CRASH-B World Indoor Rowing
Championships in ‘09 and has been invited to train for a spot
on this year’s U23 lightweight squad."
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| Katherine Robinson '09 |
"Katherine is respected by each member of the team and the
coaching staff. She is compassionate when appropriate, but is
also willing to uphold the standards of the team when behavior
requires a 'course correction'. Because of the level of
respect for her held by the team, and because she is an incredibly
tactful communicator, she can have 'difficult discussions' without
damaging relationships. She balances the roles of 'up-lifter'
and 'enforcer' extremely well. Perhaps the clearest way
Katherine’s impact has been evidenced is in the number of
young women on our team who have stated that their goal is to
'become like Katherine' during their time at Williams."
Sam Smith, the Ephs' 6 seat, has overcome serious injuries to work
her way back inot the 1V boat and continue the Ephs' recent
unprecedented run of success.
"Sam Smith has had to overcome a tremendous amount to become the
athlete she is today," states Moore. "As a novice, Sam rowed
in an undefeated freshman crew, and then became a part of our 2V
that won a bronze medal at the 2006 NCAA rowing
championships. Her future looked very bright. On our spring
training trip during her sophomore year, Sam took a misstep while
messing about with a volleyball and tore three ligaments in her
left knee. In a moment her season was over."
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| Sam Smith '09 |
"After a year of rehabilitation, she worked her way into the varsity boat for the spring racing season of 2008. At the New England Rowing Championships Sam heard a 'pop' in her rib during the final and was in and out of the boat for the remainder of training and racing. This year, Sam has managed to stay healthy, despite a scare with the rib in February. She has led the team both physically and emotionally. She currently rows 6 seat in our undefeated varsity, but also stroked our fall 8+ which won the Head of the Charles. What Sam brings to the team, that makes her different from other seniors who are in the twilight of their careers, is the deepest of appreciation for every moment in the boat and on the water. Having missed so much of her career with injuries, Sam feels lucky every time she sets foot in a boat to train. These feelings are infectious. On some of our hardest days of training, I will see Sam turn to some of the young women in the boat, fist bump them and say 'How lucky are we to be able to do this?' This perspective has helped to bring more joy to the experience for everyone, coaches included."
