Local girl to row for Clemson

RAVEN – Elizabeth England is the latest Tazewell County athlete to get a college scholarship and may be the only one in her sport.
The 2008 Highlight Academy graduate signed a grant with Clemson July 10 to become part of the Women’s Crew in competitive rowing.  She joins a Tiger team that finished 14th in the nation this past spring.
England, the valedictorian of her class at Highlight was offered a tryout after coaches saw her competing as a member of swim teams in Abingdon and Bristol. She swam competitively with one of those two teams for 12 years.
She considered the University of Virginia and paid that school a visit before finding Clemson more to her liking. She joins a program that produced two All Americans and had 11 rowers named national scholar athletes.
Coach Richard Ruggerio and five members of the team were in Germany preparing for the world championships when England signed. An assistant coach had her father on the phone just minutes after the appointed time to make sure she had signed.
Clemson has 50 members on its women’s rowing team and competes in one, two, four and eight member crews. The daughter of David and Patricia England of Lake Park plans to major in sports medicine at Clemson.