NEW HAVEN, Conn. – In unprecedented times, Yale University Athletics is rallying together as One Bulldog Nation. While the health and safety of everyone must be at the forefront of every decision, Yale Athletics celebrates the outstanding accomplishments that our winter postseason-qualifying teams and spring programs have made this season. Next up, women's crew.
 
For the last 20 years, Yale women's crew has been among the top programs in the nation. The Class of 2020 has certainly done its part to maintain those lofty standards. In each of the last three seasons, the Bulldogs have finished in the top-10 at the NCAA Championships, and in two of those years, they were the top Ivy League finisher.
 
Seniors Elizabeth Duserick (Arlington, Mass.), Katie Gleason (Sudbury, Mass.), Claire Grundig (San Carlos, Calif.), Daisy Mazzio-Manson (Wellesley, Mass.), Margaux Paradis (San Francisco, Calif.), Alexia Rojas (Tampa, Fla.), Margaret Saunders (Arlington, Va.), Hannah Smith (Long Beach, Calif.), Sami Traina (Valencia, Calif.) and Ella von der Schulenburg (Zurich, Switzerland) had Yale on track for another NCAA Championship run before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 public health threat.
 
Nevertheless, the 10 built a strong legacy during their time rowing on the Housatonic.
 
"The Class of 2020 has been the strength of Yale Women's Crew for the past four years," said Will Porter, The Friends of YWC Head Coach of the Bulldogs. "They are relentless trainers, good racers and great teammates. They truly get it. They personify YWC everyday through their actions. They were not big on talking the talk, they were big on walking the walk. They got stuff done. It is clear they were set to leave an emphatic last mark on the water this spring."
 
How successful was the Class of 2020? Nine of the 10 won medals in all three of the years they competed in the Ivy League Championship. That's a total of 27 Ivy medals. The one who didn't was Traina, who joined the team last year after spending her first two years as a member of the swimming team. She competed in one race last year and had earned a seat for the season-opening Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational this spring.
 
"She has great spirit and the team loves her," Porter said. "She made a huge improvement this year."
 
In addition to the success at Ivy's, which included the team title at the 2018 Championship, members of the Class of 2020 represented Yale at the national level at the NCAA Championship and internationally at the Henley Women's and Henley Royal Regatta in England. At the 2018 Henley Royal Regatta, the Bulldogs were part of one of the most thrilling races of the competition, coming from behind to defeat ASR Nereus, a Dutch Under-23 national crew, to advance to the semifinals. Yale, competing for the Remenham Challenge Cup, won by ¾ of a length after trailing for much of the race. The Dutch crew featured a couple of rowers who competed at the Rio Olympics.


 
Individually, there were a number of accolades as well. Mazzio-Manson was a first team All-American as a junior after earning second team honors in her sophomore season. In addition, she was a two-time first team All-Ivy selection and won a bronze medal with the United States eight at the World Rowing U23 Championships. Saunders was a second team All-American and a second team All-Ivy selection last year. She also sat in the No. 2 seat of the United States four at the 2019 World Rowing U23 Championship. Von der Schulenburg, this year's team captain, earned honorable mention All-American recognition last year and sat in Switzerland's quadruple scull at the 2019 World Rowing U23 Championship.
 
Five of the 10 won gold medals at the Ivy League Championship: Gleason (2018 varsity four), Paradis (2018 varsity four), Rojas (2017 varsity four), Smith (2018 third varsity eight) and Duserick (2018 third varsity eight), while Grundig helped the second varsity eight reach the grand final at the 2018 NCAA Championship.
 
In addition to its success on the water, the Class of 2020 excelled in the classroom as several earned CRCA Scholar Athlete honors during their careers.