Grady and Musnicki Named 2024 USRowing Athletes of the Year

USRowing is pleased to announce that Michael Grady has been named 2024 Male Athlete of the Year, while Meghan Musnicki has been named 2024 Carie Graves Female Athlete of the Year

Selected by the athletes and coaches of the Olympic team that competed at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France, Grady and Musnicki will be recognized on Attager Row at the Head of the Charles on Saturday, October 19, at 5 p.m. 

Two-time Olympian Michael Grady (Pittsburgh, Pa./Cornell University) won gold in the men’s four at the 2024 Paris Olympics. His crew is the first U.S. men’s four to win gold since 1960. Grady, an eight-time national team member across the under 19, under 23, and senior levels, won silver in the four at the 2023 World Rowing Championships, recording the best finish for a U.S. men's boat since 2017.

“First and foremost, it is an incredible honor to be named the USRowing Male Athlete of the Year,” said Grady. “I am grateful to all my teammates and coaches who elected me to receive this award. I want to personally recognize my boatmates, Liam, Justin, and Nick. Their contributions to our team’s character, leadership, culture, and performance are invaluable. This award is as much theirs as it is mine; without them, I wouldn’t be accepting this honor.”

“Throughout my rowing journey, I have been fortunate to have numerous supporters and mentors. I want to acknowledge the programs I rowed for: Central Catholic Pittsburgh, Cornell University, and the California Rowing Club. I am lucky to have been surrounded by tremendous coaches and teammates at each program. I’d also like to thank my wife and family for their continued support. But, it is impossible to individually name all those who impacted my journey in a few short sentences.”

“As amateur athletes, we rely heavily on organizations' support. So, thank you, Fillipi, the NRF, and the USRowing Foundation. And last but not least, thank you to all the USRowing support staff, dietitians, coaches, directors, and board members!”

Meghan Musniski (Naples, N.Y./Ithaca College) is one of the most decorated U.S. rowers in history with five world championships and two Olympic gold medals. The Paris Games marked her fourth Olympics, and she made history as the oldest American woman to compete. She was a member of the historic undefeated U.S. women’s eight for multiple years. Her 14-year-long career on the U.S women’s rowing team leaves an incredible legacy of hard work and resilience. 

“I'm truly honored and humbled to be named Athlete of the Year by my teammates” saint Meghan Musnicki. “I am incredibly grateful for my time training with such a formidable group of women day in and day out throughout my tenure on the team. Without all of these women, those who made the team and those who missed out, I would not be the athlete I am today. “

“Competing for the USA will never get old. It is always an honor to step out and represent the red, white, and blue.”

“Thank you to my coaches, my home club, the California Rowing Club, my East coast club, the New York AC, my family, and my entire support network. It truly takes a village to compete at this level and I could not have done it without each and every one of you. And finally, to my husband, Nathanael Kielt (Skip), thank you for your love, support, and seemingly endless amounts of patience when I said I was going to go, ‘just one more time’.”

The announcements for the Para and Beach Sprint Athlete of the Year will be announced later this week. 

USRowing would like to thank Filippi Lido, the Official Boat Supplier for the U.S. Senior, Under 23, and Para Rowing National Teams. Under the agreement, Filippi is providing USRowing a fleet of boats for international competitions including the World Rowing Cup regattas, World Rowing Under 23 Championships, World Rowing Championships, Olympic Games, and Paralympic Games, as well as a domestic training fleet for the USRowing Training Centers.