BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington University women's rowing senior and team captain Taylor Wall has been selected as one of five finalists for the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) NCAA Division II Athlete of the Year.
 
Wall (Grand Junction, CO) has been a long-standing powerhouse in the Varsity 8+ crew for the Vikings, as six-seat she fueled first-place finishes at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships and the Greater Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championships. To cap off her decorated collegiate rowing career, Wall moved to stroke seat to lead the Vikings to a first-place finish at the NCAA Division II National Championships to lift the program to its 10th national title.
 
In the 2026 season alone, Wall swept nearly every honor possible including First Team All-WIRA, GNAC All-Academic, First Team All-GNAC, GNAC Rower of the Year and First Team CRCA All-American.
 
Wall, who was a CRCA Athlete of the Year finalist in 2025, was also voted a First Team All-American 2024 and 2025. She also was a GNAC All-Academic selection all eligible years (2024, 2025, 2026), a First Team All-GNAC selection in 2025 and was awarded GNAC Freshman of the Year in 2023.
 
Wall is one of five finalists for the CRCA Athlete of the Year Award, joining Jolee Paulk of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Bella Lisenby of Seattle Pacific, Sawyer Schreiner of University of Central Oklahoma and Ashlyn Chaffee of Thomas Jefferson.
 
In the 2024 season, Wall helped lead the Varsity 8+ to a first-place victory at the NCAA DII National Championships, securing the Vikings a national championship, marking the ninth in the rowing program's history. In 2025, Wall remained to be a strong force in the Varsity 8+ leading the crew to a second-place finish less than a second behind Embry Riddle at the NCAA DII National Championships.
 
"Taylor is the kind of student-athlete every coach hopes to have on their team, and every teammate wants in their boat" said WWU head coach Courtney Moeller. "A steady and influential presence, she has led by example both on and off the water. Taylor consistently pushes her own limits and brings out the best in those around her while maintaining a strong balance between focus and fun. Our team is better because of her, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to coach her over the past four years. This season was a fitting culmination to Taylor's outstanding career."
 
Senior Varsity 8+ coxswain Janisa Cook has this to say about Taylor:
 
"It would take me quite some time to list all the awards Taylor has received over the years. But beyond all the accolades and victories, Taylor Wall is an incredible teammate and one of my closest friends. She wrote 'Hammer Down' on my shins for the NCAA DII Varsity 8+ Grand Final, so she could look at the words as a reminder. The thing is, I don't think she needed it. She led us to victory with the same intense effort that she brings to each practice and weight session. Her strength and ability to give 110% no matter the circumstance is what made her such a powerhouse on the team."
 
The CRCA Athletes of the Year and National Coach and Staff of the Year will be announced on Friday.
 
2026 CRCA NCAA II

• Jolee Paulk, Embry-Riddle
• Bella Lisenby, Seattle Pacific
• Sawyer Schreine, Central Oklahoma
• Ashlyn Chaffee, Thomas Jefferson
• Taylor Wall, Western Washington

  WWU Rowing is one of the elite collegiate rowing programs in the country across all divisions, having won 10 NCAA Division II National Championships. The Vikings have won two of the last three national titles (2024 & 2026), the 2017 title, placed 2nd in 2018, 3rd in 2019 and runner-up in 2022. WWU has competed in the NCAA Championships in 23 of the 25 NCAA Division II national regattas, taking home the gold (10 times), silver (5 times) and bronze (6) medal 21 times in the 24 years the NCAA Division II team title has been awarded, and reached the podium 21 times. Western won seven consecutive DII national championships from 2005-2011.
 
WWU Rowing Inside the Numbers:
22 – NCAA II Rowing Championship Appearances (out of 24)
18 – Individual Championships (Eights-8, Fours-10)
10 – National Championships (2005-11, 2017, 2024, 2026)
6 – 3rd Place Finishes at Nationals
5 – National Runner-Up Finishes
3 – GNAC Championships (in 6-year history of event)