Big Ten Conference Announces 2025 Rowing Individual Awards

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference revealed its 2025 rowing individual awards, as selected through a vote of the conference’s 11 head coaches. Washington junior Aisha Rocek was chosen as the Big Ten Athlete of the Year, while Rutgers’ Beatrice Colclough was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Rutgers head coach Justin Price was tabbed as the Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Rocek, hailing from Como, Italy, is the first rower from Washington to earn an individual award after the program embarked on its inaugural season as a member of the Big Ten. The first team All-Big Ten performer helped pace the Huskies to a gold medal in the I Eights and a team title at the 2025 Big Ten Rowing Championships. Rocek returned to collegiate racing this year after representing Italy at the 2024 Olympic Games.

Colclough is just the second Scarlet Knight to collect Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors, joining Hannah Heideveld (2021). The Staffordshire, England, native was a member of the II Eights that earned a silver medal at the conference championships. She also secured a spot on the Big Ten’s All-Freshman Team.

Price, who took over at the helm in 2018, is the first Rutgers head coach to be named Big Ten Coach of the Year. Price coached the Scarlet Knights to a second-place finish behind 239 points at last week’s Big Ten Championships, the highest placement in program history. Under his guidance, Rutgers is headed back to the NCAA Championship regatta for the sixth time in a row. The Scarlet Knights are seeded at No. 9 in the II Eights and at No. 6 in both the I Eights and Fours.

A new addition to the postseason honors this year is the all-freshman team. The team is made up of eight rowers and one coxswain as selected by the conference’s head coaches.

The conference announced this year’s All-Big Ten Teams and Sportsmanship Award honorees at the conclusion of the 2025 Big Ten Rowing Championships last Sunday.

2025 Big Ten Rowing Awards
Athlete of the Year: Aisha Rocek, Washington
Freshman of the Year: Beatrice Colclough, Rutgers
Coach of the Year: Justin Price, Rutgers

All-Freshman Team
Grace Langridge, Indiana
Mia Lawrence, Iowa
Paige Guggenbiller, Ohio State
Beatrice Colclough, Rutgers
Femke de Witt, Rutgers
Gerli Endrekson, USC
Chloe Sheppard, Washington
Isabel Michaelson, Washington
Violet Holbrow Brooksbank, Washington

First Team All-Big Ten
Aisha Rocek, Washington
Zola Kemp, Washington
Marilou Duvernay-Tardif, Washington
Hannah Heideveld, Rutgers
Lily Wood, Rutgers
Lauren Andersen, Rutgers
Katie Easton, Michigan
Gabrielle Graves, Michigan
Annabel Oertel, Indiana
Lilly Murphy, Indiana
Sabrina Gottschalk, Michigan State
Leandra Hogrefe, Ohio State
Annabel Aron, USC
Manon Field, Minnesota
Sophia Gruenling, Wisconsin
Orla Cuffe, Iowa

Second Team All-Big Ten
Megan Lee, Washington
Cillian Mullen, Washington
Sophie Houston, Washington
Chiara Saccomando, Rutgers
Elli Arbogast, Rutgers
Leia Till, Michigan
Amy Newton, Michigan
Nico Daly, Indiana
Maddie Kieft, Michigan State
Ugne Rudaityte, Michigan State
Amelia Boes, Ohio State
Ellie Brindle, Ohio State
Alex DeLisle, USC
Josefine Freltoft, Minnesota
Kylie Magnus, Wisconsin
Kaija Frassrand, UCLA

Sportsmanship Award Honorees
Lily Haupt, Indiana
Natalie Maher, Iowa
Ally Blomquist, Michigan
Sam Thoma, Michigan State
Sophia Pirigyi, Minnesota
Rose Biddulph, Ohio State
Madison Cancro, Rutgers
Danielle DeFrancisci, UCLA
Chiara Meakin, USC
Olivia Hay, Washington
Macy Mosner, Wisconsin