Musnicki, Mead Named 2021 USRowing Athletes of the Year

PRINCETON, N.J. – USRowing is pleased to announce that Meghan Musnicki (Naples, N.Y./Ithaca College) and Nick Mead (Strafford, Pa./Princeton University) have been selected as this year's winners of the USRowing Female and Male Athletes of the Year, respectively.

Selected by the athletes and coaches of the teams that competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Musnicki and Mead will be honored during the USRowing Annual Convention, which will be held virtually this year from December 6-11.

A nine-time national team member, three-time Olympian, and two-time Olympic gold medalist, Musnicki has been a stalwart in the women's eight for three Olympic cycles. A graduate of Ithaca College, Musnicki made her first national team in 2010, winning gold in the women's eight. She would go on to win Olympic gold in the eight in 2012 and 2016, and world championship gold in the eight in 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2015. After taking some time away following the Rio Games, Musnicki came back in 2019 to help the U.S. eight win bronze at the world championships and qualify for the Olympics. Musnicki capped off her storied career in Tokyo, finishing fourth.

"To be selected by my peers as Athlete of the Year is an honor and incredibly humbling," Musnicki said. "I have had the distinct privilege and amazing opportunity to train with the best of the best at the Princeton Training Center over the last 12 years. "These women challenged me, pushed me, and helped shape me into the athlete I am today. My sincerest thanks go out to each and every one of those women, as well as my coaches, Tom (Terhaar) and Laurel (Korholz). Without all of you, I would not be accepting this award. The last year was unprecedented. It was most certainly a lesson for me on the importance of adaptability and gratitude. Gratitude for my health and the health of my loved ones. Gratitude for the opportunity to train in the sport that I love for one more year. Gratitude for the opportunity to become a better athlete and teammate, and gratitude for the opportunity to race once more time."

A six-time national team member having raced at the junior, under 23 and senior levels, Mead sat six-seat in the men's eight that finished fourth at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, missing a medal by about a second. A graduate of Princeton University, Mead made his first senior team in 2017, winning silver in the eight at the 2017 World Rowing Championships in Sarasota, Fla. He raced in the four in 2018 before coming back to the eight in 2019, helping the U.S. qualify the boat for Tokyo.

"I am beyond grateful, and surprised, to be voted Athlete of the Year by my teammates and coaches," Mead said. "As Coach (Mike) Teti told the team before we left for Tokyo, it takes a village to support an Olympic hopeful. I could never have made it through the last four years without the support of so many people – the Covins, the Brewers, the Prendergasts, the Danns, Dougin Walker, the New York Athletic Club, the HTC, my teammates, my coaches past and present, Paulina, and my family. The final year of Olympic selection is inevitably a competitive and stressful process, but I genuinely don't know a better group of people to help me through the past year than my teammates and friends in Oakland. These athletes are some of the strangest, most amusing, and kindest people I've ever met, and I'm proud to call them my friends."

USRowing will be announcing this year's beach sprint, under 19, under 23 and senior national team athletes of the year throughout the week of November 15. Those winners, as well as the board-selected award winners and referee award winners, will be honored during the USRowing Annual Convention in December.