TULSA, OK -- Five members of the University of Delaware women’s rowing squad have been honored with a spot on the 2008 NCAA Division I Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association National Scholar-Athlete Team.

Blue Hen standouts honored for their work in the classroom were junior Taima McCartney, senior Cami Off, sophomore Maureen Reardon, senior co-captain Lana Rivers, and sophomore Erin Venturato.

To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must maintain a 3.5 or higher cumulative grade point average, have sophomore or older eligibility, and rowed in a minimum of 75 percent of her team’s spring races.

McCartney (Oakcrest High School/Hammonton, NJ) is an exercise science major and carries a 3.64 gpa. She competed in all seven meets this spring as a member of the Second Varsity Eights boat. The team placed third at the Colonial Athletic Association and placed fifth in the Petite Final at the ECAC Metro Championships.

Off (Mainland Regional/Somers Point, NJ) is an English major with a minor in history and carries a 3.72 gpa. She is a four-year letterwinner and earned a spot on the CRCA Scholar-Athlete Team for the second straight year.

Reardon (Padua/Wilmington, DE) is an art history major at Delaware and carries a 3.86 gpa. She competed in all seven meets this spring as a member of the Second Varsity Eights boat. The team placed third at the Colonial Athletic Association and placed fifthi in the Petite Final at the ECAC Metro Championships.

Rivers (Wilmington Charter/Wilmington, DE) is a biological sciences major with a minor in Spanish and owns a 3.74 gpa. A four-year letterwinner, she earned a spot on the CRCA Scholar-Athlete Team for the second straight year. She competed in all seven meet as a member of the Varsity Eights crew and led the team to a third place finish at the CAA Championships, was fifth in the Petite Final at the ECAC Metro Championships, and was fifth in the Repechage at the Dad Vail Regatta.

Venturato (Ridgefield/Ridgefield, CT) is an elementary education major at Delaware with a minor in disabilities studies and carries a 3.68 gpa. She competed in all seven meets this spring as a member of the Varsity Fours boat. The crew placed fifth at the CAA Championships, fifth in the Petite Final at the ECAC Metro meet, and fifth in their heat at the Dad Vail Regatta.

Delaware, led by fifth-year head coach Laura Slice, competed in seven events this past spring and placed third at the Colonial Athletic Association Championships in Philadelphia.