GOLD RIVER, Calif. – Washington State University's Mihaela-Teodora Berindei has been named the 2016-17 Pac-12 Women's Rowing Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the conference office announced Thursday. The award, which is presented in each of the 23 sports the Pac-12 sponsors, was established to honor collegiate student-athletes who are standouts both academically and in their sports discipline. 

A native of Cimpeni, Romania, Berindei, has rowed in the varsity eight boat for Washington State all four years. Currently ranked 14th in the nation, the Cougars head to the Pac-12 Championships this Sunday, May 14, for a chance to advance to the NCAA Championships for the fifth-straight year. Berindei has been a part of the last three NCAA Championship appearances, as she helped lead the team to 12th last season, eighth in 2015 and 14th in 2014. The eighth-place team finish in 2015 tied for the second-best finish in school history and the best since 2008. Berindei has also competed internationally for her native-Romania. 

Berindei received her accounting degree earlier this month, maintaining a grade point average above 3.90 throughout her WSU career. She is a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic honoree, as well as a two-time CRCA National Scholar-Athlete. 

 Berindei becomes the second Cougar to pick up the honor, as Katie Dick was named the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2013. 

In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility) on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50 percent of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum of one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac-12 institution may nominate one individual per sport, and the winners are selected by a committee of Pac-12 staff members at the conclusion of each sport's regular season. The athletic accomplishments of the nominees are a consideration in the voting for the award.

A Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be named in each of the Pac-12's 23 sponsored sports: baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, women's beach volleyball, men's cross country, women's cross country, football, men's golf, women's golf, women's gymnastics, men's rowing, women's rowing, men's soccer, women's soccer, softball, men's swimming & diving, women's swimming & diving, men's tennis, women's tennis, men's track & field, women's track & field, women's volleyball, and wrestling.

The Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards were established during the 2007-08 academic year.

Also nominated for Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Rowan McKellar, CAL; Tess O'Leary, OSU; Ruth Narode, STAN; Marie Lacquet, UCLA; Kaelyn Ibold, USC, Anouschka Fenley, WASH.