RICHMOND, Va. – A standout Wildcat on the rowing team both in and out of the shell, Olivia Krause has been tabbed the Colonial Athletic Association Leadership and Sport Excellence Award Winner for women's rowing, as announced by the league on Tuesday morning.

The award mimics the Chuck Boone Leadership Award in football and the Dean Ehlers Leadership Award in men's and women's basketball. One student-athlete, who represents the highest standards of teamwork, integrity, leadership and sportsmanship in his or her academic and athletic achievements, was selected in each of the other 19 sports sponsored by the Conference. After evaluating the nominees, the CAA's Faculty Athletic Representatives voted on the winners.

Krause is the first honoree in program history and a three-year letterwinner. This season, the junior competed in all five events for the Wildcats in the varsity eight boat. She was in a varsity eight shell that earned the program's first CAA Boat of the Week honors in not just one but back-to-back weeks later in the year. Sitting at the three-seat both weeks, the varsity eight won head-to-head races against UConn and Eastern Michigan on April 16 with times of 6:56.30 and 6:39.28, respectively. The following week, the same group posted a 6:30.5 time to win the Grand Final at the George Mason Invitational, besting a field that included Jacksonville, Delaware and Dayton for their first win at the event.

Outside the water, the Chapel Hill, N.C. native has shown her leadership abilities in the athletic department, serving as the leader of the UNITAS Women's Empowerment Group, a leadership ambassador for the Anne Welsh McNulty Institute for Women's Leadership and as a member of the Spotlight on Leadership Committee at Villanova. She holds a 3.67 GPA as a Political Science major and has made both the Athletic Director's Honor Roll and the CAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll in each semester on the Main Line. She was recognized in 2021 with the VERITAS Award for exemplary leadership and adherence to program values.