NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University rower Sophia Witman finished fourth in the country in the women’s 1x event at the American Collegiate Rowing Association Championship held this past weekend in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
The fourth-place finish is the highest in women’s 1x in NSU’s history.
To advance to the finals, Witman won her heat by over 50 seconds and was second in her semifinals by only .03 seconds.
Witman, a biology major from Natchitoches, earlier won a silver medal at the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship in the women’s 2x. It was the eighth medal for NSU at the conference championships. She was selected as All-South Region Team, only the ninth male or female in NSU history to earn this honor As part of the All-South team, she is automatically nominated for All-American honors which will be announced later this month. Witman has already been selected as a second-team Academic All-American.
“Sophia is only a sophomore and is already one of the Top 4 rowers in NSU history,” said Head Rowing Coach Dr. Jason Stelly. She had a great season from an individual standpoint. We look forward to seeing the great things she will accomplish representing NSU.”
Witman placed fourth in the 2x at Lanier Sprints in Gainesville, Georgia earlier in this spring in the men’s category. She was also a silver medalist in the women’s 2x at the Music City Regatta in the fall.