Dec. 30, 2009

STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford women's rowing head coach Yasmin Farooq received a pair of honors as 2009 came to a close, being named 2009 Coach of the Year by the Rowing News, and also earning the "Joy of Sculling Coaches Conference Award for University Women's Coach of the Year" at the 17th Annual Joy of Sculling Conference.

Farooq guided the Stanford women to a banner year in 2008-09, as the Cardinal won its first-ever team NCAA title, and the I Eight also captured the national crown in its class at the NCAA Championships last June.

"It's incredibly humbling to receive these awards, and it's important to note that there are a lot of people behind the scenes that made our first NCAA Championship possible," Farooq said. "I'd like to thank everyone at Stanford who helped in this endeavor, along with the support I received from my family, fellow coaches and friends. For all of us, I accept these awards on behalf of the Stanford oarswomen who captured the NCAA Team Trophy. They are the ones who ultimately stepped up to the challenge and made Stanford history. They are a wonderful, giving group, and working here with them and for Stanford is an honor."

The Cardinal I Eight, under Farooq, reached the NCAA Championships the previous two years as well. This past season, the boat set a Lake Natoma course record while capturing gold at the Pac-10 Championships and went faster than any team ever at an NCAA Championship with a 2,000-meter time of 6:11.95.

The II Eight finished third and the varsity four finished fifth--the highest finishes ever for Stanford at the NCAAs. The II Eight also claimed the silver medal at the Pac-10s.

Farooq was also honored by the CRCA as the Division I Head Coach of the Year following the season.

Also honored at this year's conference were US Women's Olympic coach Tom Terharr, Boston University men's crew coach Tom Bohrer, and Temple men's crew coach Gavin White.