Arrigoni Hall of Fame
Erin (Whalen) McGee, Esq., '99 was a rowing student-athlete and is the first and only Rhodes Scholar in Iona College history. When women's rowing became an NCAA and MAAC sponsored sport in 1997, McGee was one of the standouts for the Gaels during the late 1990's.
McGee competed in three MAAC Championships during her time at Iona. She rowed in a very strong varsity four that won gold in 1997 and 1999 and bronze in 1998. McGee won two silver medals in the varsity 8 in 1997 and 1998. The Gaels finished runner up at the MAAC Championships in 1997 and 1998, the program’s best-ever performance to date. During her tenure, McGee was part of two varsity 4 victories at the Metropolitan Championships. In 1998 her boat produced one of the best finishes at the Head of the Charles in program history, placing 15th out of 65 crews in the Club 4. After earning the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, she competed with the Oxford University women's lightweight 8 and won The Boat Race over Cambridge.
The epitome of a student-athlete, McGee touched numerous aspects of the Iona College community working as an usher at athletic events, tutoring students, donating time as a campus minister, editing the sports section of The Ionian, and thriving in the honors program as an English and communications major.
