Vashon rower named Male Athlete of the Year

Published 2:30 pm Monday, November 17, 2025

Winding down from a year of globe-trotting, last week Jacob Plihal topped off a string of rowing successes by being named the Male Athlete of the Year by USRowing for 2025.

In March, the George Pocock Rowing Foundation honored Plihal with its Award of Excellence, recognizing his 13th-place finish in the Paris Olympic Games single scull event — the best American result in that event since 2008.

In June, it was the World Cup I in Varese, Italy, where he came in second in the men’s single. Later that month, he journeyed over the Alps to Lucerne, Switzerland, to take a bronze medal in World Cup II in the men’s quad event. A fourth-place finish in September in the quad at the World Championships in Shanghai was the best U.S. finish in that event since 1998.

In announcing their selection, USRowing quoted Plihal in thanking the both the coaches and athletes of the 2025 Senior National Team for selecting him as the USRowing Male Athlete of the Year.

“I am both honored and humbled to receive this prestigious accolade,” Plihal said. “There are many men on this year’s team far more deserving of this award than I — men who have embodied excellence, grit, resilience, and sportsmanship, both on and off the water. To my crewmates and the men of this year’s squad, your character and spirit have inspired me and shaped who I am as both a rower and a person; for this, I thank you.

To the women of this year’s team, thank you for being excellent training partners throughout the year. Your collective pursuit of greatness is contagious and inspiring. Congratulations on a successful year, and to Kate Knifton for being selected as the Women’s Athlete of the Year.

To the USRowing coaches and staff of this year’s campaign, thank you for your guidance and effort in creating an environment of excellence and your work in making athletes’ lives easier day in and day out.

To my family and friends, thank you for your unwavering support of my rowing pursuits and for your notable sacrifices these past 12 years. I would not be where I am today in the sport without you all.

Thank you to my coaches Stephen Whelpley, Krystal Melendez, and Hillary Saeger, who have guided me at Craftsbury for the last five years. Also, to my coaches throughout my university rowing days at Northeastern University, as well as my U19 coach, Richard Parr, for his guidance from my first strokes on the water to his current investment in my journey. Lastly, to my hometown club, Vashon Island Rowing Club, for their continuous support and encouragement.

I would also like to thank my personal sponsors — the Craftsbury Outdoor Center, Concept2, and XBoat — for their substantial investment toward my rowing endeavors throughout the years.

There are many more who have played a role in my journey and deserve a share of this award; however, to name them all and adequately recognize their contributions would require an abundance of words too large for this brief acknowledgment. For all the rest, you know who you are and the part you’ve played in the journey — thank you.”

Plihal will be training this winter at Craftsbury in Vermont — on skis and rowing machines until the ice breaks.

Pat Call is a contributing writer for The Beachcomber.