June 30, 2005

Navy's Shaunnah Wark (Exeter, N.H./Phillips Exeter Academy) has been named the 2005 Patriot League Women's Rowing Scholar-Athlete of the Year, it was announced on Thursday. Wark is the first student-athlete in League history to garner the award for women's rowing, which was added as the PL's 23rd championship sport for the 2005 season. Patriot League Sports Information Directors voted on the award.

Wark, a senior, has compiled a 3.79 cumulative grade-point average while majoring in Systems Engineering at the Naval Academy. For her academic excellence, Wark has also been named an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America by CoSIDA and a National Scholar-Athlete by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association. In Annapolis, Wark was chosen to the Academy's Superintendent's List seven times.

Athletically, Wark was the coxswain on Navy's varsity boat, which won the Patriot League championship by 21 seconds and was selected as the Patriot League Boat of the Year. Wark and the Midshipmen also placed 10th at the Eastern Sprints and won titles during the season at the Murphy Cup and the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta.

To be eligible for this award, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade-point average and be a starter or hey player in his/her sport. Freshmen are not eligible for this honor.

The other nominees for Women's Rowing Scholar-Athlete were Bucknell's Alexis Will and Holy Cross' Kathryn Freeman.

The 2005 academic honor roll for women's rowing will be announced in late-July.