PORTLAND, Ore. – The Great Northwest Athletic Conference announced its Women's Rowing All-Conference Awards on Monday afternoon, with Seattle Pacific's Macie Leach earning a spot on the list and adding to her lengthy list of achievements.
"Macie has meant so much to our program and we're thrilled to see her receive this honor," head coach Caitlin McClain said. "She's an incredibly hard worker and is just very deliberate and thoughtful about what she is doing. She's an incredible teammate and leader for our group, who look up to those attributes I've already mentioned. She does look at all angles to achieve success. Those are all parts of what makes her a great rower."
Leach's list of accolades is an extensive one. Originally unsure of joining the SPU rowing team, Leach has carved out a career most would be pleased with. She's made the grade, so to speak, three times, earning GNAC All-Academic honor every year since 2020. Leach owns a 3.81-grade point average as a nursing major.
The academic honors extend outside of the conference as well. Leach earned the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Associations Academic Award in 2022.
Leach was honored as one of the best in the GNAC a season ago. She earned GNAC First Team honors in 2022 and now 2023. Leach has been a key factor in a strong Varsity 8+ boat for the Falcons. The V8+ shell has made noise all season. The boat has been named GNAC Crew of the Week twice during the 2023 season.
The first came on March 6. The group did not disappoint in their first weekend of competition. SPU opened the day with a win over Western Washington and Puget Sound. They posted a time of 7:06.73, besting the second-place Vikings by more than six seconds.
Another accolade came for the V8+ shell on April 3. The SPU Varsity 8+ boat was tremendous during the Falcon Regatta against WWU on April 1. They closed out the first flight with a tight race against WWU. It came down to a couple of boat lengths, but the Falcons edged past the Vikings with a time of 7:15.9. The V8+ boats opened the second flight of racing. SPU improved on their time with a 7:13.4 to best WWU.
Leach and the Falcons turn their attention to the NCAA National Championships this weekend in Cherry Hill, NJ. Racing starts on Friday with finals happening on Saturday.
