WASHINGTON – The Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (EARC) announced that the Georgetown University lightweight varsity 8+ has been named the recipient of the prestigious Rusty Callow Award. The postseason awards were voted on by the EARC coaches and announced on Tuesday morning.

The Hoyas earned the Rusty Callow Award after a solid spring season culminating with a third-place finish at the IRA National Championships earlier this month. The Blue & Gray also took third at the Eastern Sprints to close out the season strong.

The Rusty Callow Award is presented each year by the EARC to the crew that, in the previous year, best personified the virtues of "spirit, courage and unity." Awarded annually since 1963, the winner of the award is determined by a vote of the head coaches of the EARC. This is the first time Georgetown has won the honor.

Georgetown Head Coach Emeritus Tony Johnson, who returned to the Potomac in December to oversee the Hoya men's rowing program for the spring season, acknowledged the adversity the lightweight squad overcame.

"Credit our rowers who worked awfully hard on their own from January until the championship season began in February.  The team responded purposefully to new part-time coaches Matt Madigan and Joe Federici who joined with volunteer assistant Justin DeGaetano and helped them to realize their year-long goal of medaling at season's end. This squad truly personified the virtues of spirit, courage, and unity."

Rusty Callow was a legendary rowing coach, whose career spanned the first half of the 20th century. Rusty coached for many years at Washington, the University of Pennsylvania and Navy. Among his many accomplishments, Callow coached the 1952 Navy crew to an Olympic gold medal.

"This award truly represents the Georgetown student-athletes, not only in the Varsity 8+, but across the whole squad," said Madigan. "All of our 30 plus athletes worked extremely hard through difficult conditions and represented themselves and Georgetown well in the face of adversity. I could not be more proud of an incredible crew and team."