WILMINGTON, Del. - Five Franklin & Marshall rowers earned the 2025 Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) Scholar-Athlete Award. F&M's five representatives on the team include Riley Cox, Maria Darrup, Charlotte King, Maddie Messer, and Nancy Nguyen. 

The CRCA Scholar-Athlete Awards honor outstanding collegiate rowers who exemplify excellence both in the classroom and on the water. These awards celebrate the commitment, discipline, and academic achievement of student-athletes who rise to the challenge of excelling in a demanding sport while maintaining exceptional academic performance.

Riley Cox earned the CRCA Scholar-Athlete award for the second-consecutive year. The coxswain is a three-time representative on the MARC Academic Honor Roll, and she was named to the Franklin & Marshall 2025 Delphic Student-Athlete Honor Society. Cox was on the Varsity 8+ crew that was named MARC Crew of the Week this past April.

Maria Darrup earns a CRCA Scholar-Athlete honor for the first-time. The sophomore was named to the Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference Academic Honor Roll for the first time this year. Darrup was named to the Franklin & Marshall 2025 Delphic Student-Athlete Honor Society. She is a two-time All-MARC Rower, as she was named to the first team in 2025 and the all-novice team in her first collegiate season in 2024. She was also on the Varsity 8+ crew that was named Crew of the Week in April 2025. 

Charlotte King is a CRCA Scholar-Athlete for the first-time. The senior was on the MARC All-Academic Team twice and was named to the Franklin & Marshall 2025 Delphic Student-Athlete Honor Society. King was also named to the MARC Crew of the Week this April. 

Maddie Messer is now a two-time CRCA Scholar-Athlete. The senior was on the MARC Academic Honor Roll three times and was named to the Franklin & Marshall 2025 Delphic Student-Athlete Honor Society. She was named to two All-Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference teams including a second-team spot in 2025 and a first-team selection in 2022. She was also named to the MARC Crew of the Week in April 2025.

Nancy Nguyen was named a CRCA Scholar-Athlete for the first time. The junior has appeared on the MARC Academic Honor Roll twice and was named to the Franklin & Marshall 2025 Delphic Student-Athlete Honor Society. She was named to the MARC All-Novice Team in 2023 and was also part of the Varsity 8+ crew that was named MARC Crew of the Week in April.

To be recognized as a CRCA Scholar-Athlete, nominees must meet rigorous standards in both academic and athletic arenas:

Academic Criteria

• Must meet all institutional and conference eligibility rules

• Must be in their 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th year of eligibility

• Must hold a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher through the end of the fall semester/winter quarter of the current academic year

Athletic Criteria

• Must have rowed in at least 75% of spring races in an NCAA or IRA (lightweight) eligible boat or

• Must have raced in an NCAA boat at their conference championship

This award underscores the dual commitment of collegiate rowers who pursue athletic excellence while maintaining high academic standards—an embodiment of the scholar-athlete ideal.