June 10, 2008

The Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association announced their 2008 Pocock All-America team this week with one Trojan being honored. Sophomore starboard Liene Bertasjus was named to the All-America First Team. This is her first selection as an All-American.

This award recognizes outstanding performances of individual rowers and coxswains at the NCAA Division I level. To be eligible for the award the student athlete must be nominated by her institution and must follow all the eligibility rules as defined by her institution. She needs to have rowed at least 75% of the season's races in the varsity boat. Her head coach must be a member in good standing of the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association. All-American athletes are selected from those athletes already named First-Team All Region. The criteria looked at for selection include boat performance, nomination rank, coach's comments, individual achievements and 2k erg score. There is one coxswain named to each team.

Bertasjus is a 6'0'' sophomore from Jurmala, Latvia. As a freshman she was a member of the varsity eight boat which had one of its most successful seasons in school history. This year in her sophomore season Bertasjus has battled through injuries, having an appendectomy early in the season. Bertasjus came back, and made an immediate impact, helping the varsity eight boat to a second place finish at the San Diego Crew Classic. She helped the team row well at the Stanford Invitational and led the team to beat cross-town rival UCLA in an important dual meet which clinched the Gauntlet Trophy for the Trojans. Bertasjus was an integral part in the varsity eight success at the Pac-10 Championships and their tenth place overall finish at the NCAA Championships in May.

Bertasjus also has international rowing experience, as she is a member of the Latvian National Team.

All-America First Team

Gabriele Albertaviciute: Ohio State University

Mara Allen: University of California at Berkeley

Jennifer Barnes: University of Minnesota

Liene Bertasjus: University of Southern California

Kelsie Chaudoin: University of Virginia

Karen Colwell: University of Michigan

Anne Cowan: Michigan State University

Jennifer Cromwell: University of Virginia

Tess Gerrand: Yale University

Kristin Haraldsdottir: Princeton University

Ashley Jones: University of Washington

Anna Kendrick: Harvard University, Radcliffe Crew

Laura Lea Larsen-Strecker: Harvard University, Radcliffe Crew

Steph Morrison: Stanford University

Irena Neffeova: Washington State University

Taryn O'Connell: University of California at Berkeley

Emma Olson: Brown University

Amanda Polk: University of Notre Dame

Jessi Reel: Stanford University

Taylor Ritzel,: Yale University

Krystina Sarff: University of Central Florida

Jessica Stage: Brown University

Suzanne Van Fleet: Clemson University

Coxswain Sarah Wu, Brown University