Washington's Gold, Stanford’s Pofcher named 2022 Pac-12 Rowing Scholar-Athletes of the Year

PAC-12 SCHOLAR-ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

SAN FRANCISCO – Washington's Adam Gold was named the Pac-12 Men's Rowing Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Stanford's Nicole Pofcher the Pac-12 Women's Rowing Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2022 season, the conference office announced Sunday. The award, which is presented in each of the 24 sports the Pac-12 sponsors, was established to honor collegiate student-athletes who are standouts both academically and in their sports discipline.

Gold, the Seattle native, has completed all requirements to earn his bachelor's degree in civil engineering and holds a 3.62 grade-point average. In his sophomore year he earned Pac-12 All-Academic second team honors in 2019, then was named to the 2020 Pac-12 Spring Academic Honor Roll in his junior year. Last year, Gold was selected to the IRCA Scholar-Athlete Team and to the IRA All-Academic Team. Athletically, Gold has been a member of Washington's varsity eight since his sophomore season. As a sophomore, helped the Huskies win a Pac-12 Championship and silver at the IRA National Championships that same season. Last year, he coxed the third varsity eight to a Pac-12 Championship and an IRA National Championship. This year, he has coxed both the varsity eight and third varsity eight to successful seasons. He is the fourth Husky to earn the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete honors for men's rowing since the award was established in 2007-08.

Pofcher, a native of Winnetka, Ill., boasts a 4.05 grade-point average while majoring in international relations and minoring in sustainability. During her academic career, she has twice made the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll (2020, 2021) and is also a two-time CRCA Scholar-Athlete (2020, 2021). During her freshman season, Pofcher was a vital member of Stanford's varsity four, which placed second at both the Pac-12 Championships and NCAA Championships. Last season, she helped Stanford's varsity eight place second at the Pac-12 Championships and the NCAA Championships as the coxswain. She is the sixth Cardinal to earn Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors for women’s rowing since the award was established in 2007-08.  

In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility), on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50 percent of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac-12 institution may nominate one individual per sport, and the winners are selected by a committee of Pac-12 staff members at the conclusion of each sport’s regular season. The athletics accomplishments of the nominees are a consideration in voting for the award.

A Scholar-Athlete of the Year is named in each of the Pac-12’s 24 sponsored sports: baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, beach volleyball, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, football, men’s golf, women’s golf, women’s gymnastics, women’s lacrosse, men’s rowing, women’s rowing, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, softball, men’s swimming & diving, women’s swimming & diving, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s track & field, women’s track & field, women’s volleyball, and wrestling. The award was first established during the 2008-09 academic year.

ALSO NOMINATED (MEN): Elliott Kemp, California.

ALSO NOMINATED (WOMEN): Issy Cassidy, California; Sarah Coufal, UCLA; Lillian Lau, USC; Samantha Schmidt, Washington State; Katherine Slack, Washington.

PREVIOUS MEN’S AND WOMEN’S ROWING SCHOLAR-ATHLETES OF THE YEAR