UCF’s Chelsey Lauzon (Rockford, Mich.) earned a prestigious honor Tuesday when she was announced as the 2010-11 Conference USA Rowing Scholar Athlete of the Year. Lauzon, who is entering her senior year, won the award based on her academic achievement, athletic achievement and service.

C-USA awards the scholar athlete honor to the top student-athletes in each conference-sponsored sport. The award winners are determined by the Faculty Athletics Representatives at each C-USA institution.

An elementary education major with a minor in coaching, Lauzon boasts a 3.937 grade point average.

“We are very proud of Chelsey. This is a huge honor because there are so many talented student-athletes in our conference,” UCF rowing head coach Becky Cramer. “She works so hard and brings so much to our team. This is a great achievement that is well deserved.”

Lauzon was recently named to the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association All-South Region First Team for the third-consecutive season. As a junior, she rowed in every varsity eight race for the Knights. She led the Black and Gold to a fourth-place finish at the C-USA Rowing Championships, while being named to the All-C-USA Rowing Team for the second time, and was also a member of the crew that won C-USA Boat of the Week honors on April 12.

Lauzon was also named to the C-USA All-Academic Team for the second-straight season in 2011, while she is a three-time recipient of the C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal and is a three-time member of the C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll.

Over the course of the year, Lauzon and the Knights defeated Kansas State at the Longhorn Invitational and posted a nearly seven-second victory over league-rival Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Lauzon helped lead the varsity eight boat to a first-place finish in the C Group Final at the Lake Natoma Invitational with wins over Oregon State and Sacramento State and also posted a nearly 10-second win vs. Miami in the varsity eight boat at the UCF Regatta.