Radcliffe’s Kharrazi Tabbed as Lightweight All-American

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-Senior Rebekah Kharrazi, captain of the Radcliffe lightweight crew, has been named to the 2009 Pocock Lightweight All-America Team, the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association has announced.

Kharrazi was the lone senior in the Black and White's fourth-place entry in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships. She was one of just three seniors on the team and one of two to row in the varsity eight during the season. Kharrazi helped lead the team to a turnaround season in the first year under new head coach Heather Cartwright.

The Alameda, Calif., native helped Radcliffe reach No. 2 in the national rankings and narrowly miss medals at the IRA regatta and Eastern Sprints. The Black and White posted a 5-1 record in dual racing, capturing the Class of 2004, Class of 1999 and Linda Muri Cups. The win against Princeton to claim the Class of 1999 Cup was just the second for Radcliffe in the cup series and its first since 2004.

The awards recognize the outstanding performances of rowers and coxswains by choosing top performers among the competitors in the IRA grand final. The team featured 10 total selections: two oarswomen and a coxswain from national champion Wisconsin, two rowers each from silver and bronze medalists Bucknell and Stanford and one oarswoman each from fourth-place Radcliffe, fifth-place Georgetown and sixth-place Princeton.

CRCA 2009 Pocock Lightweight All-America Team

Lane Benes, University of Wisconsin

Gillian Carter, Bucknell University

Madeline Davis, Princeton University

Laura Donaldson, Georgetown University

Kaela Erickson, University of Wisconsin

Katherine Heflin, Stanford University

Heidi Hunsberger, University of Wisconsin

Rebekah Kharrazi, Harvard University, Radcliffe Crew

Devon Mitchell, Bucknell University

Gretchen Stumhofer, Stanford University