ORLANDO – Fresh off a second consecutive Big 12 title, a trio of Knights have garnered Big 12 awards as announced by the conference office on Thursday afternoon.
The three members of the Black and Gold continue the trend of last season’s victories, securing Big 12 Rower of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and Coach of the Year, all following the race win.
Junior Brigitte Kappler took home the conference’s top individual honor in being named this year’s Big 12 Rower of the Year. The Johannesburg, South Africa native has been a staple in the First 8+ throughout all three years of her tenure at UCF. Declared the best boat mover on the team by Head Coach Mara Allen, Kappler has rowed in the three seat of the Knights’ top boat all season, aiding in the 13 second advantage the First 8+ had at the Big 12 Championship, securing the clean sweep.
In addition to the postseason conference honor, Kappler was a member of the First 8+ through boat Big 12 Boat of the Week honors that the crew secured throughout the spring. She was also named to the All-Big 12 team following the conference race for the second consecutive year.
Kappler is the second Knight to garner the Big 12’s top honor for an individual rower, following the likes of senior Hannah Lovejoy who secured the conference nod last May.
Continuing the recognitions, freshman Madison Lovejoy secured the title of Big 12 Newcomer of the Year after competing in the Black and Gold’s top two boats for the entirety of the spring season.
At the conference race, Lovejoy was a part of the Second 8+ that secured a win almost 11 seconds ahead of the next nearest boat. The Marietta, Ohio native was also part of the Knights’ First 8+ boat when it was named Big 12 Boat of the Week twice this season.
Rounding out the conference awards, Head Coach Mara Allen took home the Big 12 Coach of the Year honor for the second consecutive season. Allen has led the Knights to new heights throughout her three year stint with UCF so far.
At the helm this season, Allen led her team to a program high ranking of No. 12 on the CRCA poll, just to break the accomplishment two weeks later, reaching a peak of No. 11. In addition to the rankings, the San Francisco native led her team to all but one-first place finish in every race competed in this season, with the lone second-place finish coming from the Princeton and Penn race – a race which still saw the First 4+ top the then seventh ranked Tigers. Allen finished out the season guiding her team to yet another sweep at the Sarasota waters of Nathan Benderson Park securing the team’s second consecutive Big 12 Title and automatic qualification to the NCAA Championships.