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Rowing Names Five Team Captains
10/1/2021 4:49:00 PM | Rowing
DURHAM – The Duke rowing coaching staff has announced that Amelia Shunk, Gabriella Salvati, Sydney Johnson, Megan Lee and Lauren Sizemore will serve as team captains for the 2021-22 season.
"Each of our captains have done an excellent job in setting the example we would like to see emulated within the team," associate head coach Chase Graham said. "They were elected by the team and coaching staff to help continue pushing our program forward. They each bring something different to the table, which we feel collectively will enhance our team's performance on and off the water."
Shunk was elected a team captain for the fourth consecutive season. The senior from Corte Madera, Calif., has helped the Blue Devils achieve unprecedented heights during her career, highlighted by a gold-medal performance with the Varsity Four boat at the 2019 ACC Championship. She was a mainstay in the Varsity Eight lineup this year, helping lead the crew collect six first-place finishes in 13 races. The V8 went on to take second at ACCs before earning a fourth-place result in the C Final at the NCAA Championships. In June, Shunk was named a CRCA Scholar-Athlete while also earning a spot on the All-ACC Academic Team for the second time in her career.
"Our leadership as a group will ask big things of Duke rowing and of ourselves," Shunk said. "I trust our group to put ourselves out there, ask more of ourselves every day at practice, and ask more of the team. I can't wait to see where our team goes this year."
Salvati is coming off a first-team All-ACC selection this past May and is named a team captain for the second straight year. The Medford, N.J., native enters her senior campaign as a leader in the V8 boat, which she raced in at each of the team's regattas in 2021. The biology major was also recognized for her efforts in the classroom, earning CRCA Scholar-Athlete and All-ACC Academic status for the first time.
"I think the best thing about Duke rowing that outsiders might not know is that we are able to be completely heads in and serious during practices, but we are also able to separate practice from the rest of life," Salvati said. "We are able to seat race in the morning and genuinely want to spend time with those same people after practice. We love to do fun team activities like scavenger hunts and pie eating contests. We can have fun and enjoy our free time together, but we also love to get serious and race hard."
Johnson joined Salvati on the All-ACC First Team in May and has been a key member of the V8 lineup since she arrived at Duke in 2018. A native of Hamilton, New Zealand, she will look to lead the Blue Devils to their third consecutive appearance at the NCAA Championships. Like her two fellow senior team captains, Johnson was a CRCA Scholar-Athlete as well as an All-ACC Academic pick a season ago.
"Our captains group is a cohesive group of athletes that strive to lead but also listen, be empathetic but also accountable," Johnson said. "I think the most important thing we try to do is say, 'Hey, I respect you and believe in you – we can do more than what we've already achieved, so let's do more together.'"
A junior from Natick, Mass., Lee became the fourth rower in program history to be named a Pocock first-team All-American in 2020-21. She competed in the V8 boat in eight races in the regular season, winning four while taking second in three. Lee was part of the V8 squad that earned ACC Crew of the Week after defeating No. 7 Michigan for the first time in program history at the Big Ten/ACC Double Dual on April 3. She was also tabbed a CRCA Scholar-Athlete and All-ACC Academic honoree, while being named a co-MVP for the team at Duke's annual awards banquet.
Sizemore earns captaincy honors for the first time in her Duke career and is coming off a sophomore season that saw her sit stroke seat in the V8 at three regattas, including the ACC Championship and NCAA Championships. The Cincinnati, Ohio product was additionally a CRCA Scholar-Athlete in 2020-21.
The Blue Devils are back on the water for official team practices at Lake Michie. Duke's roster is made up of 64 student-athletes, with 32 returners from last season's squad. Two graduate students transferred to Duke after four-year careers at other Division I programs, while the newest recruiting class features 13 freshmen. 14 additional student-athletes joined the team as walk-ons in late September.
For more information on Duke rowing, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching 'DukeROW.'
#GoDuke
"Each of our captains have done an excellent job in setting the example we would like to see emulated within the team," associate head coach Chase Graham said. "They were elected by the team and coaching staff to help continue pushing our program forward. They each bring something different to the table, which we feel collectively will enhance our team's performance on and off the water."
Shunk was elected a team captain for the fourth consecutive season. The senior from Corte Madera, Calif., has helped the Blue Devils achieve unprecedented heights during her career, highlighted by a gold-medal performance with the Varsity Four boat at the 2019 ACC Championship. She was a mainstay in the Varsity Eight lineup this year, helping lead the crew collect six first-place finishes in 13 races. The V8 went on to take second at ACCs before earning a fourth-place result in the C Final at the NCAA Championships. In June, Shunk was named a CRCA Scholar-Athlete while also earning a spot on the All-ACC Academic Team for the second time in her career.
"Our leadership as a group will ask big things of Duke rowing and of ourselves," Shunk said. "I trust our group to put ourselves out there, ask more of ourselves every day at practice, and ask more of the team. I can't wait to see where our team goes this year."
Salvati is coming off a first-team All-ACC selection this past May and is named a team captain for the second straight year. The Medford, N.J., native enters her senior campaign as a leader in the V8 boat, which she raced in at each of the team's regattas in 2021. The biology major was also recognized for her efforts in the classroom, earning CRCA Scholar-Athlete and All-ACC Academic status for the first time.
"I think the best thing about Duke rowing that outsiders might not know is that we are able to be completely heads in and serious during practices, but we are also able to separate practice from the rest of life," Salvati said. "We are able to seat race in the morning and genuinely want to spend time with those same people after practice. We love to do fun team activities like scavenger hunts and pie eating contests. We can have fun and enjoy our free time together, but we also love to get serious and race hard."
Johnson joined Salvati on the All-ACC First Team in May and has been a key member of the V8 lineup since she arrived at Duke in 2018. A native of Hamilton, New Zealand, she will look to lead the Blue Devils to their third consecutive appearance at the NCAA Championships. Like her two fellow senior team captains, Johnson was a CRCA Scholar-Athlete as well as an All-ACC Academic pick a season ago.
"Our captains group is a cohesive group of athletes that strive to lead but also listen, be empathetic but also accountable," Johnson said. "I think the most important thing we try to do is say, 'Hey, I respect you and believe in you – we can do more than what we've already achieved, so let's do more together.'"
A junior from Natick, Mass., Lee became the fourth rower in program history to be named a Pocock first-team All-American in 2020-21. She competed in the V8 boat in eight races in the regular season, winning four while taking second in three. Lee was part of the V8 squad that earned ACC Crew of the Week after defeating No. 7 Michigan for the first time in program history at the Big Ten/ACC Double Dual on April 3. She was also tabbed a CRCA Scholar-Athlete and All-ACC Academic honoree, while being named a co-MVP for the team at Duke's annual awards banquet.
Sizemore earns captaincy honors for the first time in her Duke career and is coming off a sophomore season that saw her sit stroke seat in the V8 at three regattas, including the ACC Championship and NCAA Championships. The Cincinnati, Ohio product was additionally a CRCA Scholar-Athlete in 2020-21.
The Blue Devils are back on the water for official team practices at Lake Michie. Duke's roster is made up of 64 student-athletes, with 32 returners from last season's squad. Two graduate students transferred to Duke after four-year careers at other Division I programs, while the newest recruiting class features 13 freshmen. 14 additional student-athletes joined the team as walk-ons in late September.
For more information on Duke rowing, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching 'DukeROW.'
#GoDuke
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