NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Yale women's crew captain Mia Levy has added another achievement to her impressive career, being named the Division I Athlete of the Year by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA), the organization announced Friday. She is the first student-athlete from Yale to earn this distinction.

"Mia puts the team first; she lifts up her teammates and elevates everyone around her," said Friends of YWC Head Coach Will Porter. "On top of that she is the purest rowing athlete I have coached, she has physiology, strength, natural length and her blade skills are second to none. She is the total package!"
 
In its fourth year, the Athlete of the Year award provides a unique opportunity for the CRCA to acknowledge and recognize the individual efforts, impactful actions, and remarkable outcomes achieved over the academic year—a span during which these student-athletes have undeniably left a positive impact on their respective teams.

"This honor goes 100% to my teammates and coaches on Yale Women's Crew who have shaped me into the person I am over the last four years, said Levy. "I've learned from my teammates every single day about what commitment and drive means, especially from those teammates who never made it into NCAA boats and never got their laurels, but still showed up with such amazing energy and put in the work every single day. My coaches have pushed me to set big goals and taught me how to rally a team around those goals. My team made a decision at the beginning of this year to chase greatness and make our mark in YWC history and it took every single one of us buying in to do that. Our 1V finish happened because of the standard we all set of putting the team before ourselves and pushing each other to be the best we can be. I couldn't be prouder of what this team has done, not just the accolades but also the culture of trust, support, and passion for the sport that we built together."

Levy, a sensational collegiate rower, competed this season in the first varsity boat. That crew made history by winning its first national title since 2010 at the NCAA Championship, setting a championship record with a time of 6:06.138. Throughout the spring season, the boat also picked up victories over Michigan, Rutgers, Syracuse, Cornell, Dartmouth, Princeton, and Radcliffe.
 
The senior earned All-America honors for the third straight year and was named to the First Team All-Ivy for the second consecutive season. She also received the Nellie Pratt Elliott Award, given to the senior woman whose excellence in the field of athletics and her life at Yale best represents the ideals of sportsmanship and Yale transition.
 
Additionally, Levy has been exceptional on the international stage, as she was named the 2023 USRowing U23 National Team Female Athlete of the Year after helping Team USA's eight win gold at the World Rowing Under 23 Championships. She also won gold with the U.S. women's eight at the 2021 World Rowing Junior Championships, rowing in the five seat.