NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Grace Menke has been in a leadership role throughout her career at Yale, serving as the coxswain for various crews. In 2023-24, she will take on even greater responsibility, serving as the captain of the Yale women's crew.
 
"Being elected captain is such an honor," said Menke, who came to Yale from Sarasota, Fla. "Especially as a coxswain, it was not something I thought was within my reach since my part on the team already comes with a leadership role. With that being said, I am so grateful to have such an amazing team who has the faith and trust in me to lead them through the next season. Each person and coach on this team has played a role in making me the person I am today, and I am so thankful for them. I hope to bring my love for the sport and the people and my passion for mental training as well as physical training to YWC in the next year."
 
This spring, Menke coxed the varsity eight to a bronze medal at the Ivy League Championship and a sixth-place national finish at the NCAA Championship. As a sophomore in 2022, she coxed the varsity four, which won a bronze medal at the Ivy Championship.
 
"As a coxswain, Grace is already in a leadership position," said Will Porter, The Friends of YWC Head Coach of the Bulldogs. "It will be interesting to see how she moves into the captain's role."
 
Menke has already benefitted from her experience with Yale women's crew.
 
"I think that my entire time on this team has helped shape me as a person," she said. "I owe a lot of it to the coaches - Will, Jamie, Laura and Kristen - for helping me develop as not only an athlete, but as a teammate and person. I also owe it to my teammates for making YWC the best team I have ever experienced."
 
The Bulldogs are coming off back-to-back fifth-place finishes at the NCAA Championship. Menke's goal is to build on that success.
 
"I think this past year we have created one of the tightest teams that I have been a part of," she said. "I hope to carry that into the next season as well as bring another level of high performance through mental training in addition to our physical training to prepare us for anything that comes at us during racing season. My goal is to reach the end of the season knowing that each person has reached their full potential with a few wins along the way and to take YWC to the next step forward."
 
Menke will spend the summer training, working at a dermatologist's office, studying for the MCATs and visiting some of her teammates in Europe.
 
In addition to naming the captain, the 2022-23 team awards were announced. First year Imogen Cabot was the recipient of the Chris Ernst Award. The Anne Warner Award was presented to senior Margaret Hedeman. Veronica Wall received the Jenny Kiesling Award. The Nate Case Award went to Aliza Fisher and Lucy Edmunds received the Porter, Maloney, Snider Coaches Award.