PRINCETON, N.J. – The No. 3 University of California San Diego women's rowing team will be well represented at the upcoming 2019 World Rowing Under 23 Championships. Triton coxswain Juni Kim has been chosen to attend the selection camp for the United State National Team, while Assistant Coach Susan Francia has been named to the U.S. coaching staff. The Championships will take place July 24-28 in Sarasota, Fla.
Kim and Francia were part of a historic season for the Tritons in 2018. With Kim coxing for the Varsity 8 crew and Francia helping coach the team, the Tritons turned in a second-place finish in last year's Varsity 8 Grand Final at the NCAA Division II Championships. UC San Diego's runner-up finish matched a program best, as it crossed the finish line in 6:51.352. Coincidentally, the competition took place in Sarasota, where the U.S. National Team will compete this summer.
In addition to helping the Tritons to a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships, Kim led the UC San Diego Varsity 8 crew to success throughout the 2018 season. The Walnut Creek native captured first place with the Varsity 8 in the DII/III/Club Grand Final at the 45th San Diego Crew Classic, earning a UC San Diego Athlete of the Week award for her efforts.
Kim assisted the Tritons to another top finish at the Dad Vail Regatta, as the Varsity 8 compiled a time of 6:26.729. At the end of her freshman season, she was named a CRCA Second Team All-American.
Now in her sophomore season, Kim is one of just six women's coxswains from across the nation chosen to attend the U.S. U23 selection camp.
“I [am] just super excited and beyond grateful that I got picked to go,” said Kim. “I'm looking forward to experiencing rowing at a really high level and being able to bring back more to my team next season.”
“I couldn't be more excited for Juni,” said Head Coach Colin Truex, who is at the helm of the regionally-ranked second place program. “Juni has been nothing but a revelation for this program these last two years as a coxswain. She's amazing. She's got all the tools, all the skills, and she's just going to get better with this experience.”
Kim will be joined by Triton Assistant Coach Francia at the selection camp. Francia, a world-class coach and rower, is no stranger to international competition. After competing at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and earning a pair of gold medals, she coached the United States Women's 8+ to a third-place finish at the 2015 Junior World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At the U23 Championships, Francia will help guide the women's quadruple sculls.
"I am incredibly excited to be named as one of the coaches for the U23 Rowing World Championships,” said Francia. “Rowing on the U.S. team has completely shaped me as a person, and I am excited to impart my wisdom on the next generation of athletes. It's so fun to watch these women push themselves as athletes and grow as people.”
“It's excellent,” said Truex about Francia's selection to the United States coaching staff. “She's obviously accustomed to working with elite athletes and training as an elite athlete herself, so it means a lot.”
Francia was particularly excited that Kim will be joining her at the selection camp.
“Juni is a respected athlete and truly a leader both in and out of the boat,” said Francia. “At NCAAs, she helped elevate the varsity boat into the medals in addition to raising the level of performance at practice every day. I know she will learn a lot at through this experience and use her newfound knowledge when she comes back to San Diego. And if she really excels at camp, she might even be named to the U.S. team!"
Francia and Kim will head to the University of Virginia in mid-June to participate in the camp. For more details on this summer's World Rowing U23 Championships, click here.
About UC San Diego Athletics
With 30 national team championships, nearly 150 individual titles and the top student-athlete graduation rate among Division II institutions in the United States, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program annually ranks as one of the most successful in the country. The Tritons sponsor 23 intercollegiate sport programs that compete on the NCAA Division I and II levels and, in summer 2020, will transition into full Division I status as a member of the Big West Conference. UC San Diego student-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent. A total of 80 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 36 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. In competition, more than 1,300 UC San Diego student-athletes have earned All-America honors.
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