The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Rowing's Raggi named CRCA Athlete of the Year
08.13.2022 | Rowing
Fran Raggi named the inaugural Division I Rowing Athlete of the Year.
"Fran is a terrific athlete and a special person, and she is deserving of this award for so many reasons," said Texas Rowing head coach Dave O'Neill. "This recognition means a lot to Fran, her teammates and family, and everyone is really proud of her."
The award recognizes those student-athletes for their successes this past season and their demonstrated leadership on and off the water.
A three-time All-American, the 2022 Big 12 Rower of the Year helped guide the Longhorns to the NCAA National Championship for the second consecutive year and was a member of the Texas First Varsity Eight that captured a second-straight national title.
Raggi, a Maitland, Fla. native, rowed primarily at seven-seat in the 1V8 this season, helping the boat to an unbeaten season in which UT won all eleven of its races and complied a 37-0 mark in head-to-head competitions.
Texas' I Eight posted wins over 24 ranked opponents with Raggi on board, including a dominating victory in the NCAA Championship Grand Final, in which Texas jumped out to a two-seat lead by the 250-meter mark and built upon the advantage throughout the remainder of the race, winning by open water with a time of 6:10.733, 4.7 seconds ahead of runner-up Stanford.
This summer, she represented the United States at the World Rowing U23 World Championships, helping the Texas-crewed Women's Four (BW4-) to a world championship. It marked the second-straight year in which Raggi earned gold at the world regatta after having won the world championship with the Women's Eight (BW8+) in 2021.
