The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Knifton named a 2022 USRowing Under 23 Athlete of the Year
08.24.2022 | Rowing
Kate Knifton helped lead a Longhorn-crewed women’s four to gold at the World Rowing U23 Championships.
PRINCETON, N.J. – Texas Rowing's Kaitlin Knifton has been selected as one of USRowing's Under 23 National Team Female Athletes of the Year, the organization announced on Wednesday. She earned a share of the women's honor with Azja Czajkowski, while Isaiah Harrison earned Male Athlete of the Year accolades.
"I am so honored to have been selected as U23 Female National Team Athlete of the Year," Knifton said. "This year's team was full of amazing athletes and people who worked hard and dedicated their summer to producing outstanding results in Varese. It means so much to me to be a representation of this great group of women. U23s is such a unique experience as it allows athletes not only to meet other rowers from across the country, but also across the world. It was so great to be reunited with some of my teammates from Texas and the U19 team, as well as meet great rowers from other programs and some of my incoming teammates. It also was so exciting to watch the U19 team perform so well, and it makes me excited for the future of U.S. rowing."
An Austin native, Knifton is a four-time national team member who raced at her first under 23 championships this summer, rowing at stroke seat in the gold-medal women's four that was crewed entirely by Longhorns.
"I'm really happy for Kate, and she's very deserving of this recognition," said Texas Rowing head coach Dave O'Neill. "She's the perfect balance of an intense competitor on the water, and the most humble, kind person off. It's a lot of fun to witness her success and watch her row every day."
Knifton also rowed at stroke-seat in the Longhorns' first varsity eight the last two seasons, helping guide the boat to back-to-back national titles and UT to a pair of NCAA team championships. The Texas I Eight is unbeaten over the last two years, winning 19 consecutive races with a head-to-head record of 65-0 versus teams within those races.
A 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year nominee, Knifton is a two-time first-team All-American, two-time member of the All-Big 12 Team and three-time CRCA National Scholar Athlete and Academic All-Big 12 First Team honoree.
Players Mentioned
