WEST WINDSOR, N.J. — Cornell men's heavyweight rowing alum Michael Grady '19 has been named USRowing's Male Athlete of the Year, the organization announced Wednesday afternoon.
Selected by athletes and coaches of the United States Olympic Team that competed at the Olympics in Paris, Grady and Meghan Musnicki, an alumna of Ithaca College, who was named the 2024 recipient of the Carie Graves Female Athlete of the Year award, will be recognized on Attager Row at the Head of the Charles on Saturday, Oct. 19, at 5 p.m.
Grady, who appeared in his second Olympics this past August, aided the United States men's four to its first gold medal since 1960. An eight-time national team member across the under-19, under-23, and senior levels, Grady also earned a silver medal at the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, which served as the United States' best finish for a men's boat since 2017.
"It is an incredible honor to be named the USRowing Male Athlete of the Year," Grady said. "I am grateful to all my teammates and coaches who elected me to receive this award. I want to personally recognize my boatmates, Liam Corrigan, Justin Best, and Nick Mead. Their contributions to our team's character, leadership, culture, and performance are invaluable. This award is as much theirs as it is mine; without them, I wouldn't be accepting this honor.
"Throughout my rowing journey, I have been fortunate to have numerous supporters and mentors. I want to acknowledge the programs I rowed for: Central Catholic Pittsburgh, Cornell University, and the California Rowing Club. I am lucky to have been surrounded by tremendous coaches and teammates at each program. I'd also like to thank my wife and family for their continued support. But, it is impossible to individually name all those who impacted my journey in a few short sentences.
"As amateur athletes, we rely heavily on organizations' support. So, thank you, Fillipi, the NRF, and the USRowing Foundation. And last but not least, thank you to all the USRowing support staff, dietitians, coaches, directors, and board members!"
The gold-medal win for Grady marked the second time a Cornell rowing alum won gold at the Olympics, joining the late Cornell Athletics Hall of Fame rower Bill Stowe '62, who was part of the U.S. men's eight crew at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo.
Grady's gold medal was the first time an alumnus of the three Cornell rowing programs received an Olympic medal since former women's rower Stephanie Maxwell-Pierson '86 won bronze in the women's pair in 1992 in Barcelona. No male Cornell rowing alum had medaled at the Olympics since Walter (Chip) Lubsen '77 (men's eight), Michael Bach '82 (men's coxed four), and Dave Clark '82 (men's coxless four) won silver in their respective events at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Grady and the trio of Cornell alumni who medaled at the 1984 Olympics will also be honored at the Golden Oars Gala tomorrow night, Sept. 26, at the iconic Central Park Boathouse in New York City.
