Rowing's First Varsity 8 crew, Patricia Mamona, Richie Shaffer honored by ACC

Clemson athletes in three sports earned ACC weekly honors for their performances last weekend.

On Tuesday, senior Patricia Mamona was named women’s track athlete of the week, while rowing’s First Varsity 8+ crew was named ACC crew of the week. On Monday, sophomore Richie Shaffer was honored as baseball co-player of the week.

Mamona, the defending NCAA champion in the outdoor triple jump, earned her award with a winning, nation-leading mark of 43-10 in the Florida Relays at Gainesville, FL.

The men’s track honor went to Florida State’s Maurice Mitchell, who registered the current world-leading time in the 200-meter dash (20.36) at the same meet.

Clemson rowing’s First Varsity 8+ boat was honored after defeating crews from both 7th-ranked Ohio State and 12th-ranked Michigan this past weekend at the annual ACC-Big Ten Challenge in Columbus, Ohio.

Clemson, ranked 14th nationally in the latest weekly national Collegiate Coaches Rowing Association poll last Wednesday, posted a time of 6:44.40 in defeating the Wolverines (6:47.94) in the morning session, then came back to down 7th-ranked Ohio State in the afternoon, posting a time of 6:56.35 to the Buckeyes’ performance of 6:59.60.

The Tigers’ First Varsity Eight crew consists of coxswain Katie Bruggeling (St. Catherine’s, Ontario, Canada) and rowers Laura D’Urso (Dunross, Ireland), Laura Basadonna (Torino, Italy), Becca Brown (Greenville, S.C.), Liz Robb (Roswell, Ga.), Sarah Daanen (Hayden, Idaho), Heather Cummings (Virginia Beach, Va.), Grace Wolff (Chanhassen, Minn.) and Stephanie Cameron (Alexandria, Va.).

Clemson’s crew nosed out the First Varsity Eight crew from Virginia for the honors, as the Cavaliers also defeated both Ohio State and Michigan in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. ACC teams swept all four First Varsity Eight races in the annual competition.

The Tigers, led by first-year head coach Robbie Tenenbaum, will next be in action on April 16, against ninth-ranked Southern California, 11th-ranked UCLA, and 16th-ranked Texas in Charlottesville, V.A.

The 2011 ACC Rowing Championships will then be held on Saturday, April 23, also on Lake Hartwell in Clemson.