@fullname - @sport - Rice University Athletics

Karen Gerken

Height:
5-7
Class:
Freshman
High School:
Cedar Park H.S.
Hometown:
Cedar Park

Rice
2009-2010: Conference USA Commissioner[apos]s Academic Medalist; C-USA Academic Honor Roll; C-USA Swimming All-Academic Team; Earned Rice[apos]s Kathryn Scholl True Blue Spirit Award as the Owls[apos] swimmer with the best enthusiasm and positive attitude at meets and during daily practice; Rice University Honor Athlete; Won Rice[apos]s first C-USA individual championship in two years with a dramatic come-from-behind victory in the 500-yard freestyle... Swam a career-best 4:52.13 to win the C-USA crown and provisionally qualify for the NCAA Championships... Reached the championship finals of the C-USA[apos]s 200-free, finishing eighth after a career-best 1:52.09 in the prelims... Came back and won the bronze medal as part of a 1-2-3 Rice finish in the league[apos]s 1,650-free with a season-best 16:58.97... Swam a 10:11.99 in the first 1,000 yards in the conference mile, her best mark of the season for that distance. 2008-09: Conference USA Academic Honor Roll; Came up big with two top five finishes in the distance events at the C-USA Championships held across town at the University of Houston... Started the meet with a career-best 4:53.96 to take fifth in the 500-freestyle... Came back with a fourth place in the C-USA[apos]s 1,650-free, recording a career-best time of 16:51.99... Swam a 10:08.89 in the first 1,000 yards of the C-USA mile, the team[apos]s second-best time at that distance for the entire season... Notched a career-best 1:54.31 in the prelims of the 200-free. 2007-08: Conference USA Commissioner[apos]s Academic Honor Roll; Helped give the Owls a scoring punch in the distance events in her inaugural season of college swimming... Finished fourth in the mile at the C-USA Championships and was tenth in the 500... Placed 11th in the 200-free... Posted the team[apos]s third-fastest time of the year in the 500 (5:03.59) at the NIKE Invitational in Irvine, Calif. High School A 2007 graduate of Cedar Park High School in Cedar Park, Texas... Earned all-America and all-state honors in the 500-freestyle... Named the female senior athlete of the year training under coach John Baltzel... Four-time team MVP... Won the District 15-5A championship in the 500 as a senior in 2007... Served as Timberwolves[apos] team captain... Was in the Top 11 of her class... National merit finalist... Honored as an AP Scholar with Distinction... Served as the newspaper[apos]s editor & chief. Club Competed for Texas Gold Swimming... Coached by Aubrey Knapper and Sharon Churchin. Personal Full Name: Karen Raquel Gerken. Born: July 14, 1989 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Parents: Chris and Kay (Snell) Gerken of Austin (two brothers). A Rice legacy athlete as both her parents and two aunts (Carol and Barbara Snell) were varsity swimmers for the Owls in the 1980s. Her mother is the only four-time recipient of the program[apos]s prestigious Catherine Hannah Award as the outstanding Rice female swimmer. All three Snell sisters earned all-America honors for the Owls. College: Hanszen.