Nine student-athletes sign to join Badger women's rowing
November 24, 2014 | Women's Rowing
Nov. 24, 2014
MADISON, Wis. -– The Wisconsin women’s openweight rowing program, led by head coach Bebe Bryans, is pleased to announce the signing of nine student-athletes who will join the tradition-laden Badgers starting in the fall of 2015.
The group includes Eliza Clifford (Bethesda, Maryland), Alicia Evans (Portland, Oregon), Sarah Gibbons (San Francisco), Niamh Martin (Seattle), Saylor Martin (Redmond, Washington), Jane Merriman (Sewickley, Pennsylvania), Alison Morrison (Westport, Connecticut), Renee Olley (Timaru, New Zealand) and Sarah Roe (Golden Valley, Minnesota).
“I couldn’t be more excited to introduce the Badger Rowing Class of 2019,” Associate Head Coach Megan Cooke Carcagno stated. “This group is tall, fit and shows a tremendous desire to compete.
“There is real experience here; we’ve got women who’ve stroked winning eights at the Charles, women who’ve won hardware at Youth Nationals and women who’ve represented their countries at the Junior World Championships.
“The best thing about all of them is their unyielding desire to take themselves and this program to the next level. We will be a faster team with the addition of this class.”
Sarah Gibbons
Gibbons, a San Francisco native, co-captains the Pacific Rowing Club. A four-year rower, Gibbons helped her varsity four to silver at the 2014 USRowing Youth National Championships after her boat placed fifth at the 2013 event. As part of the varsity eight, her boat reached the grand final of the 2014 Regional Championships. Gibbons currently attends Lowell High School.
“The people I have met at Wisconsin won me over,” Gibbons explained. “Their love for the team, school and community was palpable and instantly made me want to be a Badger.”
Renee Olley
Olley, a native of Timaru, New Zealand, will come to Wisconsin from Craighead Diocesan School and Timaru Rowing Club. Vice captain of the Craighead rowing squad, she also represented New Zealand in women’s straight four that competed at the 2014 Junior World Rowing Championships in Hamburg, Germany. She also placed ninth at the 2014 Youth Olympics in the women’s pair that took place in Nanjing, China.
“Moving half way around the world for four years is definitely an exciting opportunity for me. I'm really looking forward to being part of this team, I know the experience I'll have here will be pretty unique and I cannot wait!”
Alison Morrison
Morrison, from Westport, Connecticut, will arrive to Madison from Saugatuck Rowing Club and Staples High School. Her team’s 2010 Novice of the Year, Morrison boasts a 2014 Head of the Charles title as stroke of the women’s youth eight. She also raced at USRowing Nationals in the eight and took fifth in the B final as one of the team’s co-captains. Morrison is the sister of current UW men’s rower John Morrison.
“After the first time I visited with my brother, Wisconsin was in the back of my head,” Morrison stated. “I really liked the opportunities that are available because of the size of the school, and the boathouse, team and coaches are great as well.”
Alicia Evans
Evans hails from Portland, Oregon, where she attends Woodrow Wilson High School and competes at Rose City Rowing Club. Rowing for four years, Evans has been the varsity eight stroke the past two seasons for her club. Among her rowing highlights is her 10th-place finish in the pair at the 2012 USRowing Club Nationals for the U.S. Junior National High Performance Team. She is also among her team’s best on the erg, making her squad’s ‘Big Cannons’ erg list.
“Academically, Wisconsin has some of the best student support available, which will be a huge help in getting my degree and doing my best in the classroom,” Evans explained. “Athletically, I can already feel the supportive family dynamic of the team and coaches, which is an amazing force to have behind you when you’re working towards a goal.”
Niamh Martin
Martin comes from Seattle, where she attends and rows for Holy Names Academy. The 6-2 Martin’s career thus far is highlighted by a first-place finish at the 2014 Brentwood Regatta held on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada, last spring.
“To Niamh, what made Wisconsin stand out was the many tools she can use to further her academic and athletic career,” Cooke Carcagno stated.
Eliza Clifford
Clifford, from Bethesda, Maryland, will come to Madison from Walt Whitman High School and as a rower with Whitman Crew and Thompson Boat Center (TBC) Racing. Currently team captain for her high school, Clifford earned a bronze medal at the 2013 Stotesbury Regatta in the women’s senior eight. A 2013 and 2014 WMIRA champ, she was also named a 2014 Washington Post All-Met Athlete. A 2014 USRowing Club Nationals bronze medalist in the junior women’s four, Clifford has also twice competed in the SRAA Regatta, reaching the final as a sophomore.
“The feeling of community is very prominent at Wisconsin,” Clifford remarked. “I felt right at home while I was on my official, like I never left Washington, DC.”
Sarah Roe
Roe, a Golden Valley, Minnesota native, attends The Blake School and rows for Twin Cities Youth Rowing. A 2014 and 2013 competitor at the Head of the Charles, Roe also competed at the 2014 Youth Nationals in California, and at the 2014 Club Nationals for the Junior National Team. She does triathlons in her spare time.
“As soon as I got on campus for my official visit, I knew that this was the school for me. Everything that I did and saw there made me fall more in love with the school and what it means to be a Badger.”
Jane Merriman
Merriman, a Sewickley, Pennsylvania native, currently rows for Three Rivers Rowing Association and attends Quaker Valley High School. Now in her fifth year of rowing as a coxswain, Merriman’s career is highlighted by three top-half finishes at the Head of the Charles in the youth eight. She was also invited to the 2013 USRowing Junior National Team High Performance Camp and coxed her club to four place finished in both the eight and four at the 2014 Midwest Regional Championships.
“I want to compete against the top teams in women’s openweight rowing and I knew right away Wisconsin was the place to do that. The combination of academic excellence along with some of the best coaches and facilities in the country made it a very easy decision.
“The most special thing about Wisconsin to me is not only the alumni network but the pride they, along with current students, have in being a Badger. No matter where you go, there will always be someone who knows someone who went to school in Madison. The pride and spirit of the students, staff and community is really outstanding and something I am so thrilled to be a part of.”
Saylor Martin
Martin, a Redmond, Washington native, will join the Badgers after her rowing career with Sammamish Rowing Association concludes. Martin coxed the 2014 Northwest Regionals gold medal crew in the lightweight eight and four. She also won the 2014 Windermere Cup in the varsity four, while placing sixth at the 2014 USRowing Club Nationals in the youth eight and intermediate eight. The Redmond High School attendee also placed eighth in the women’s junior lightweight eight at the 2014 USRowing Youth National Championships.
“All of my friends and family are ecstatic about my decision and they are happy to see me follow my heart to the school that is the right fit for me,” Martin remarked. “Wisconsin stood out because I never thought that I would feel completely at home in a state halfway across the country.”
| Name | Ht. | Hometown | High School | Rowing Club |
| Eliza Clifford | 5-9 | Bethesda, Md. | Walt Whitman High School | Whitman Crew/TBC Racing |
| Alicia Evans | 5-9 | Portland, Ore. | Woodrow Wilson High School | Rose City Rowing Club |
| Sarah Gibbons | 5-11 | San Francisco | Lowell High School | Pacific Rowing Club |
| Niamh Martin | 6-2 | Seattle | Holy Names Academy | Holy Names Academy |
| Saylor Martin | 5-4 | Redmond, Wash. | Redmond High School | Sammamish Rowing Association |
| Jane Merriman | 5-0 | Sewickley, Pa. | Quaker Valley High School | Three Rivers Rowing Association |
| Alison Morrison | 5-8 | Westport, Conn. | Staples High School | Saugatuck Rowing Club |
| Renee Olley | 5-10 | Timaru, New Zealand | Craighead Diocesan School | Timaru Rowing Club |
| Sarah Roe | 5-9 | Golden Valley, Minn. | The Blake School | Twin Cities Youth Rowing |
