Completed Event: Rowing at Head of the Charles on October 17, 2025 , , NTS
/
Final
Rowing
at Head of the Charles
Duke Rowing Hands Out End-of-Season Awards
5/4/2020 12:25:00 PM | Rowing
DURHAM, N.C. – Head Coach Megan Cooke Carcagno and the Duke rowing program announced their 2019-20 team awards Sunday via a virtual end-of-season banquet.
The Blue Devils claimed their fourth consecutive Carolina Cup in the team's only recorded meet before the season was cut short due to COVID-19. Duke was aiming to improve on a 2019 spring campaign that saw the squad earn a bid to compete at the NCAA Championships following a second-place performance at the ACC Championship.
There were six total awards given out this season – Most Improved Rower, Most Valuable Player, Hammer Award, Most Promising Freshman, 38th Seat Award and Culture of DWR Award.
The celebration was initiated with sophomore McKendree Densel being awarded the Most Improved Rower. "Kiki" competed in the 3V8 and 4V8 boats during the 2019 season, where she helped the 3V8 boat take first at the Carolina Cup and second at the Cooper Sprints and Big Ten/ACC Dual. In the most recent Carolina Cup at Clemson on March 7, Densel sat in the 2V8 boat that won its race by over 13 seconds.
Senior Olivia Mendonca won the Most Valuable Player Award as she was set to be a leader in the V8 boat for the fourth consecutive season. "Liv" played a key role in Duke taking silver in the V8 race at last May's ACC Championship before she sat five seat with the same crew at NCAA's, finishing fifth in the C Final. In this year's Carolina Cup, she sat Bow in the V8 boat that took first in its race by a margin of 16 seconds.
Receiving the Hammer Award for the third consecutive year was junior Laura Navarrete. The Hammer Award is given out to the team member with the fastest two-kilometer time on the erg machine. In her third spring in Durham, Navarrete was looking to earn a spot on the ACC podium for the third consecutive year, as she helped the V4 boat take silver in 2018 and 2V4 claim silver last season. At the Carolina Cup, she sat Stroke in the V4 lineup that finished its race over 23 seconds ahead of second-place Clemson.
The Most Promising Freshman Award went to Megan Lee. The Natick, Mass., native came to Duke with experience rowing in the Boston area and a Junior National Team performance in the Women's 8+. She quickly emerged as a contributor for the Blue Devils. Lee was one of three newcomers in the V8 lineup at the Carolina Cup.
Perhaps the most honorary award of the night, the 38th Seat Award, was won by senior captain Grace Garverick. Given to the most notable all-around contributor to the development of the program, Garverick was following up a junior campaign that saw her help Duke's 3V8 boat win a silver medal at the ACC Championship. Some of her biggest accomplishments came off the water, as she was one of four Blue Devil student-athletes to be honored by the ACC with the league's Top Six for Service Award. Garverick proved herself as a dedicated leader in both the Duke and Durham community, as she volunteered at multiple "Reading with the Blue Devils" events during her career and also serves as a coordinator for Duke's partnership with the Urban Ministries of Durham.
The banquet culminated with the Culture of DWR Award, which Cooke Carcagno presented to the senior class of 2020. The group of six Blue Devils – Lelia Boley, Rani Duff, Tara Fagan, Garverick, Mendonca and Kiernan Spencer – arrived in Cooke Carcagno's second season and helped build the program into a national contender. They were instrumental in placing in the top five at all three ACC Championships they appeared in, including a second-place finish in 2019 that helped earn the program a spot at the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2016.
Full List of Award Winners
Most Improved Rower Award: Kiki Densel
Most Valuable Player Award: Liv Mendonca
Hammer Award: Laura Navarrete
Most Promising Freshman Award: Megan Lee
38th Seat Award: Grace Garverick
Culture of DWR Award: Senior Class of 2020
#GoDuke
The Blue Devils claimed their fourth consecutive Carolina Cup in the team's only recorded meet before the season was cut short due to COVID-19. Duke was aiming to improve on a 2019 spring campaign that saw the squad earn a bid to compete at the NCAA Championships following a second-place performance at the ACC Championship.
There were six total awards given out this season – Most Improved Rower, Most Valuable Player, Hammer Award, Most Promising Freshman, 38th Seat Award and Culture of DWR Award.
The celebration was initiated with sophomore McKendree Densel being awarded the Most Improved Rower. "Kiki" competed in the 3V8 and 4V8 boats during the 2019 season, where she helped the 3V8 boat take first at the Carolina Cup and second at the Cooper Sprints and Big Ten/ACC Dual. In the most recent Carolina Cup at Clemson on March 7, Densel sat in the 2V8 boat that won its race by over 13 seconds.
Senior Olivia Mendonca won the Most Valuable Player Award as she was set to be a leader in the V8 boat for the fourth consecutive season. "Liv" played a key role in Duke taking silver in the V8 race at last May's ACC Championship before she sat five seat with the same crew at NCAA's, finishing fifth in the C Final. In this year's Carolina Cup, she sat Bow in the V8 boat that took first in its race by a margin of 16 seconds.
Receiving the Hammer Award for the third consecutive year was junior Laura Navarrete. The Hammer Award is given out to the team member with the fastest two-kilometer time on the erg machine. In her third spring in Durham, Navarrete was looking to earn a spot on the ACC podium for the third consecutive year, as she helped the V4 boat take silver in 2018 and 2V4 claim silver last season. At the Carolina Cup, she sat Stroke in the V4 lineup that finished its race over 23 seconds ahead of second-place Clemson.
The Most Promising Freshman Award went to Megan Lee. The Natick, Mass., native came to Duke with experience rowing in the Boston area and a Junior National Team performance in the Women's 8+. She quickly emerged as a contributor for the Blue Devils. Lee was one of three newcomers in the V8 lineup at the Carolina Cup.
Perhaps the most honorary award of the night, the 38th Seat Award, was won by senior captain Grace Garverick. Given to the most notable all-around contributor to the development of the program, Garverick was following up a junior campaign that saw her help Duke's 3V8 boat win a silver medal at the ACC Championship. Some of her biggest accomplishments came off the water, as she was one of four Blue Devil student-athletes to be honored by the ACC with the league's Top Six for Service Award. Garverick proved herself as a dedicated leader in both the Duke and Durham community, as she volunteered at multiple "Reading with the Blue Devils" events during her career and also serves as a coordinator for Duke's partnership with the Urban Ministries of Durham.
The banquet culminated with the Culture of DWR Award, which Cooke Carcagno presented to the senior class of 2020. The group of six Blue Devils – Lelia Boley, Rani Duff, Tara Fagan, Garverick, Mendonca and Kiernan Spencer – arrived in Cooke Carcagno's second season and helped build the program into a national contender. They were instrumental in placing in the top five at all three ACC Championships they appeared in, including a second-place finish in 2019 that helped earn the program a spot at the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2016.
Full List of Award Winners
Most Improved Rower Award: Kiki Densel
Most Valuable Player Award: Liv Mendonca
Hammer Award: Laura Navarrete
Most Promising Freshman Award: Megan Lee
38th Seat Award: Grace Garverick
Culture of DWR Award: Senior Class of 2020
#GoDuke
Players Mentioned
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
/ Rowing
Duke Athletics: A Tour of Campus
Saturday, October 19
Welcome to Duke
Saturday, October 19
A Century of Blue Devil Brilliance
Saturday, October 19
BDN Studios Presents: Relentless
Friday, October 11
