Stiver and Keedy named Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association All-Americans
AUSTIN, Texas -- University of Texas seniors Ruth Stiver (Madisonville, Texas) and Julia Keedy (Houston, Texas) have been voted 2004 All-Americans by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA), as the organization announced its sixth annual All-America first and second teams on Wednesday, June 2. Stiver was named a First Team CRCA All-American, while Keedy earned second team recognition. Stiver and Keedy are the first Longhorns in school history to earn All-America honors by the CRCA. The All-America first and second teams were selected by the regional chairpersons following the NCAA Championships from rowers who had received All-Region first team honors. The All-America award is designed to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of female rowers and coxswains during the current season. The criteria for being selected includes meeting eligibility rules as defined by the athlete's institution and participating in at least 75 percent of the season's races in the varsity boat. It has been a banner final two years for Stiver and Keedy as they have been instrumental in leading UT's first varsity eight boat to its first two appearances in the NCAA Championships in 2003 and 2004. The pair helped Texas' first varsity eight earn its second consecutive trip to the national championships this season, where the Longhorns finished 15th. UT earned its second straight at-large bid to the NCAA Championships on the strength of a sixth-place finish, Texas' third consecutive, at the South/Central Regionals in Oakridge, Tenn., on May 16, on Melton Lake. Prior to the NCAAs, Keedy and Stiver earned CRCA All-South Region First Team accolades. For Keedy, it marked the third straight season in which she was named First Team All-South Region, while Stiver earned first-team honors for the first time in her career after being voted to the second team her sophomore and junior seasons. In addition, Keedy also received CRCA South Region Scholar-Athlete recognition for the third straight year, while Stiver, as well as three other Longhorns, also earned a South Region Scholar-Athlete award. Texas, along with Clemson and Louisville, had the most athletes (five) from the South Region earn Scholar-Athlete accolades. In 2003, Stiver and Keedy helped the first varsity eight earn its first bid in school history to the NCAA Championships after a fourth-place finish in the Varsity 8+ Grand Finals at the South/Central Regional Sprints. The Longhorns went on to finish 12th at the championships, one spot ahead of their national ranking (13th) entering the competition. 2004 CRCA All-America Awards
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