NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Rutgers rower
Sarah Johanek was chosen as the school's nominee for the
2019 NCAA Woman of the Year. The recognition adds to a decorated career for Johanek who earned All-America honors as a senior and guided the Scarlet Knights to an 11th-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
Established in 1991, the NCAA Woman of the Year award recognizes graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers. The nominees competed in 23 different sports across all three NCAA divisions, including 262 nominees from Division I, 131 from Division II and 192 from Division III. Multisport student-athletes account for 144 of the nominees.
A three-time First Team All-Big Ten selection, Johanek has been one of the leaders for the Rutgers rowing program since her arrival. She was a key contributor in several of program's milestones, including the first-ever Big Ten Boat of the Week honors and first-time team ranking in the national polls. Johanek was a catalyst in guiding Rutgers to its best finish in the Big Ten Championship in 2018 and in that summer competed on the world stage as a member of the U.S. Under-23 rowing team. She captured a gold medal, rowing in the women's coxed four in Poland.
A recipient of the Big Ten Medal of honor, Johanek was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, three-time CRCA Scholar Athlete, inductee of the Delta Chapter of Chi Alpha Sigma Society and member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. The public health major carries a 3.8 GPA and has committed to spending two years in the Peace Corps.
The conferences will select up to two nominees each from the pool of school nominees. Then, the Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will choose the Top 30 honorees — 10 from each division. The selection committee will determine the top three honorees in each division from the Top 30 and announce the nine finalists in September. From those nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then will choose the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year.
The Top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year will be named at the annual award ceremony Oct. 20 in Indianapolis.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding rowing, follow the program on Twitter (@RutgersWRowing) and Instagram (@RutgersWRowing).
