Columbia - - rowing
Columbia University
In the City of New York
Columbia - - rowing
General
Location...............................................................................New York, N.Y. 10027 Founded.........................................................................................................1754 Enrollment.....................................................................................................5,708 President...................................................................................... Lee C. Bollinger Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Physical Education..........Dr. M. Dianne Murphy Colors................................................................................Columbia Blue & White Nickname...................................................................................................... Lions Affiliation....................................................................................... NCAA Division I Conference........................................................................................... Ivy League Website....................................................................................gocolumbialions.com
Heavyweight Rowing
Table of Contents This is Columbia University................................. 2-4 Rowing in New York City........................................ 5 Program History..................................................... 6 Coaches.............................................................. 7-8 Roster..................................................................... 9
Head Coach................................. Mike Zimmer, 21st season, 7th as head coach Address................................................ Dodge Physical Fitness Center, MC 1911 ...................................................................3030 Broadway, New York, NY 10027 Zimmer Phone................................................................................. 212-854-3438 Zimmer Email.......................................................................mcz1@columbia.edu Assistant Coach............................................................. Jon Douglas, 4th season Douglas Phone................................................................................ 212-854-2739 Douglas Email....................................................................jd2587@columbia.edu Captains......................................................................................................... TBD
Sports Information
Rowing Contact................................................................................Pete McHugh Email...............................................................................ptm2102@columbia.edu Office Phone.................................................................................... 212-854-7064 Fax.................................................................................................. 212-854-8168
Credits
The 2010 Columbia Heavyweight Rowing media guide was written, designed and edited by Pete McHugh, Assistant Director of Sports Information/Media Relations. Additional editorial assistance provided by Bill Steinman. Photos by Gene Boyars, Mike McLaughlin, Eileen Barroso and Char Smullyan. Printing by Register Graphics, Inc.
Columbia University Athletics Mission Statement
The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics of Columbia University in the City of New York serves the needs of its students, faculty, staff, alumni and the New York City community. To achieve and maintain excellence, we will: •Recruit student-athletes who will excel in our academic and athletic environment •Foster the physical, mental and emotional development of our student-athletes •Strengthen the bonds between the University and its alumni •Provide outstanding entertainment •Promote and exhibit appropriate sporting behavior by student-athletes, coaches, administrators and fans •Instill integrity and values that enhance decision-making •Comply with all NCAA and Ivy League rules and regulations •Empower the Columbia community through a diverse and equitable athletics program that meets the needs of students, alumni, faculty and staff
Columbia - - rowing
NEW YORK CITY IS From its beginnings in a schoolhouse in lower Manhattan, Columbia University has grown to encompass two principal campuses in New York City: the historic, neoclassical campus in the Morningside Heights neighborhood and the modern Medical Center further uptown, in Washington Heights.
Today, Columbia is one of the top academic and research institutions in the world, conducting pathbreaking research in medicine, science, the arts, and the humanities. It includes three undergraduate schools, thirteen graduate and professional schools, and a school of continuing education.
A member of the Ivy League, Columbia sponsors 29 intercollegiate varsity sports for men and women which compete at the Division I level. Columbia has won 11 Ivy League titles over the past three years, the most in any three-year span in school history.
In New York, the greatest city in the world has everything at your fingertips. A baseball game at Yankee Stadium, a world-class Broadway show, or just a ride around the city where neighborhoods flow freely into one another, New York has it all. Columbia - - rowing
COLUMBIA’S HOME
Columbia - - rowing
BARACK OBAMA COLUMBIA COLLEGE CLASS OF 1983 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES Columbia University has produced a large number of distinguished alumni in many different fields, including but not limited to: David Altchek, CC 1978 • Renowned orthopedic surgeon Roone Arledge, CC 1952 • Former president, ABC News & Sports Caitlin “Katy” Bilodeau, CC 1987 • Two-time Olympian Katherine Boo, BC 1988 • Reporter, The Washington Post William V. Campbell, CC 1962 • Chairman, Intuit, Inc. DeWitt Clinton, CC 1786 • Former N.Y. state senator and governor Gary Cohen, CC 1981 • TV play-by-play announcer, New York Mets Brian De Palma, CC 1962 • Filmmaker Brian Dennehy, CC 1960 • Actor, Tony award-winner Amelia Earhart, GS 1919-1920 • Aviator Eileen Ford, BC 1943 • Co-founder, Ford Modeling Agency Chet Forte, CC 1957 • Director, creator of “Monday Night Football” Matthew Fox, CC 1989 • Actor, “Lost”, “We Are Marshall” Ellen Futter, BC 1971 • Barnard College President Emerita Art Garfunkel, CC 1965 • Musician, Grammy award-winner Lou Gehrig, CC 1923-25 • Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Allen Ginsberg, CC 1948 • Author, Howl and Other Poems Judd Gregg, CC 1969 • U.S. Senator, New Hampshire Maggie Gyllenhaal, CC 1999 • Actress, “The Dark Knight” Alexander Hamilton, King’s College 1774-76 • Secretary of the Treasury Patricia Highsmith, BC 1942 • Author, The Talented Mr. Ripley Eric Holder, CC 1973 • United States Attorney General Langston Hughes, School of Mines 1921-22 • Poet Zora Neale Hurston, BC 1928 • Author, Their Eyes Were Watching God John Jay, King’s College 1764 • Judge, statesman, abolitionist Jack Kerouac, CC 1940-1942 • Author, On The Road Jeanne Kirkpatrick, BC 1948 • First female U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Joel Klein, CC 1967 • Chancellor, New York City school system John Kluge, CC 1937 • Entrepreneur, founder of Metromedia, Inc. Robert Kraft, CC 1963 • Owner, New England Patriots Gene Larkin, CC 1983 • Former Major League Baseball champion Alfred Lerner, CC 1955 • Owner, Cleveland Browns Sid Luckman, CC 1939 • Football Hall of Fame inductee Jim McMillian, CC 1970 • Former NBA champion Philip L. Milstein, CC 1971 • Principal, Ogden CAP Properties Janice Min, CC 1990 • Editor-in-Chief, Us Magazine Martha Nelson, BC 1976 • Managing editor, People; founder, InStyle Cynthia Nixon, BC 1988 • Actress, “Sex and the City” Anna Paquin, CC 2004 • Actress, “True Blood” Fernando Perez, CC 2004 • Current Major League Baseball player Joan Rivers, BC 1954 • Emmy Award-winning comedienne Attoosa Rubenstein, BC 1993 • Editor-in-chief and creator, CosmoGIRL! Michael Sovern, CC 1953 • Columbia University President Emeritus George Stephanopoulos, CC 1982 • Anchor of ABC’s “This Week” Julia Stiles, CC 2005 • Actress, “Save The Last Dance” Cristina Teuscher, CC 2000 • Olympic gold medalist, swimming Russell Warren, CC 1962 • New York Giants team physician Marcellus Wiley, CC 1997 • Former All-Pro football player
Alexander Hamilton
Marcellus Wiley
Amelia Earhart
Cristina Teuscher
Robert Kraft
Jim McMillian
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Janice Min
Columbia - - rowing
Jack Kerouac
rowing in new york city
S
tudents from every state and virtually all countries pack away memories of small town life to embrace the city where the lights stay on all night. Hanging out at home is replaced by relaxing on Central Park’s Great lawn; mom’s cooking is replaced by takeout. With so many opportunities to enjoy the greatest city in the world, inertia-filled students could get lost in the routine of trying to take in the whole experience. Columbia Rowing provides an anchor for the student- athletes’ life in New York City, providing simple but essential principles like teamwork, effort, diligence and the hunger to excel every time they shove off the dock. Team members’ learn to strike a balance between the rigors of coursework, the daily training sessions and the excitement of the city.
Columbia rowing provides a team of very competitive and supportive student-athletes driven to succeed in all their endeavors. When the team leaves the Upper West Side campus to the endless miles of water of the Harlem and Hudson rivers there is excitement for practice and the task at hand. With the home race course surrounded by buildings, factories and apartments, the river still acts as a private passageway for Columbia Rowing. Rowers can feel the tradition and history of this place as their boat race by famous New York landmarks like Yankee Stadium and the George Washington Bridge. Each practice feels like a performance for the whole neighborhood and brings with it a sense of accomplishment, as rowers work toward the goal of defeating ancient rivals and becoming the best racers in the country, in the greatest city in the world.
the columbia boathouses In the summer of 2001, Columbia completed construction of the 1929 Boathouse, which was built through the generous contributions of Columbia Rowing supporters. The facility, the newest in the Ivy League, is a three-bay shell house, complete with an upper level that includes an erg and weight room and a beautiful meeting area overlooking the water. The new boathouse is now the centerpiece of a rowing compound in a park-like setting, as the first stage of Columbia’s ambitious reconstruction of its athletic facilities. A new boat shop is expected to be completed in the near future.
The 1929 Boathouse is part of a larger facility, Baker Athletics Complex, which houses the Dick Savitt Tennis Center, Lawrence A. Wien Stadium, which is used for football, track and field and lacrosse; the Columbia Softball Complex, Columbia Field Hockey Venue; Columbia Soccer Stadium and Robertson Field at Satow Baseball Stadium. The facility provides a close, family-like atmosphere to be enjoyed by Columbia’s student-athletes.
The 1929 Boathouse stands immediately next to the Gould-Remmer Boathouse, which was originally constructed in 1895 as the Gould Boathouse at 116th Street on the Hudson River. It was relocated to its current site, and in 1989, was renamed to honor the late Eugene H. Remmer ‘40CC, ‘41SEAS, a varsity oarsman and longtime supporter of Columbia Athletics. The buildings sit at one of the most picturesque locations in New York City. They are located aside beautiful Inwood Hill Park, overlooking the confluence of the Harlem and Hudson Rivers and the famed Spuyten Duyvil.
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the program’s history Columbia University boasts three varsity rowing teams; heavyweight men, lightweight men and women. Though each team is independent, the three squads work together to form a strong, unified rowing program. While each team maintains its own racing schedule, the program frequently travels as one, including two training trips to Melbourne, Florida, and races like the Head of the Charles. The coaches and student-athletes work together to build fast crews by training and practicing together and sharing facilities and equipment. One site in which the teams train together is in Columbia’s stateof-the-art crew training facility, one of the best in the nation. The center features 40 Model D Ergometers with computer interfaces and heart rate monitors. It also houses a strength training room, exclusively used by rowers, that includes Olympic lifting stations, multi-lift power areas, bench-pull stations, and cross-training equipment. Best of all, the facility is located on campus in Dodge Physical Fitness Center. Columbia rowing is the University’s oldest intercollegiate sport, dating back to 1857. The varsity crews have been on the Hudson and Harlem Rivers regularly since 1870, and have developed a proud rowing tradition. In 1878, Columbia gained international acclaim by winning England’s Henley Royal Regatta, becoming the first Americans to win a race abroad. The following year, Columbia was named one of three teams to compete for the Childs Cup, the oldest American rowing trophy. Throughout the next 20 years, Columbia established a national reputation in collegiate rowing. In 1895, with Cornell and Penn, the Lions competed in the first-ever race for the college championship and finished first. This would come to be known as the Poughkeepsie Regatta, a competition to award the national intercollegiate rowing crown. Presently, this race is known as the IRA Regatta. During the 1920s and 1930s, Columbia was one of the most dominant rowing schools in the nation. From 1926-1929, Columbia led collegiate rowing, winning the national championship three times and finishing second once— behind a California squad that went on to win an Olympic medal.
More recently, Columbia crews have worked hard to achieve and maintain the excellence the University has come to expect. During the past three years, the heavyweight crew has won three Collins Cup races, three Alumni Cup races, three Maxwell Stevenson Cup races, two Lusins Trophy races, the Blackwell cup twice and the Childs Cup once. These regular season successes have led to two births in the Sprints Grand Final and one in the IRA Grand Final and an invite to the Henley Royal Regatta in England. In 1995, the freshman lightweights earned Columbia’s first Eastern Sprints medal in 25 years, and were named the EARC Outstanding Lightweight Boat of the Year. The next year, the varsity lightweights earned national acclaim when they went 10-1 and won the Augusta Regatta, the Geiger Cup, and the Subin Cup, and were third in the IRA Regatta, the first Lion varsity crew to medal at the IRA in 25 years. In 2000, the team won the Eastern Sprints, the first time a Columbia varsity has captured the prestigious event, and was third at the National Championship. The same year, it won England’s Marlow Regatta and took its second trip to Henley in three years, again reaching the quarterfinals. The 2003 varsity lightweights went 112, gained silver medals after finishing second in both the Eastern Sprints and the National Lightweight Championship, and became the first Columbia crew ever to capture all four cup races in a single season. Both the 2005 and 2006 freshman lightweight eight earned bronze medals by finishing third in the Eastern Sprints. The varsity lightweight fours completed a perfect season, going 11-0. Columbia women’s crew has been an official varsity sport for 20 years (1986-87) and has established itself strongly in Eastern competition. First under National Team oarsman and Row2K.com founder, Ed Hewitt ’84CC, and most recently under Melanie Onufrieff, the women’s crew has had several strong seasons. In 1998, the varsity earned the bronze medal at the IRA Regatta. In 2002, the squad finished above .500 (7-5) for the first time since 1990 (42), while the 2003 women’s varsity went 7-3, the best record by a women’s varsity at Columbia in 18 years, and the 2004 varsity was considered for an NCAA bid. For the first time since Columbia women’s rowing began in the 1980s, a Lion eight-oared shell earned a medal in the Eastern Sprints. The novice eight captured the bronze medal, and the Columbia “A” novice four finished second to gain silver; the 2006 varsity eight went 9-5 and won the Petite Final.
Columbia - - rowing
MIKE ZIMMER
Head Coach, Director of Rowing 21st season, 7th as Heavyweight head coach After a recent string of national success that culminated in all three Columbia boats finishing among the top 12 at the 2010 IRA Regatta, Mike Zimmer embarks on his 21st season at Columbia with eyes of pushing the Lions further up the ladder among the nation’s elite. Zimmer heads into his seventh season as head man of the heavyweight crew, after previously serving as both the Columbia lightweight and women’s head coach. Over the past three years, Columbia’s varsity eight has won 15 Cup races, five in each season. The Lions strung together consecutive victories in the first five events of the year in 2009, including a win at the prestigious Childs Cup over Princeton for the first time in 46 years. Columbia followed that performance up with a second consecutive win at the Blackwell Cup the following week, where it triumphed last season for the first time in 67 years. The Lions also earned a Maxwell Stevenson Cup win for the second straight year after a 45-year hiatus, and finished up the year ranked 11th in the nation. When Mike Zimmer was named head coach of heavyweight rowing at Columbia five years ago, everything began to look up for the heavyweights. As someone said then, Mike Zimmer will turn the corner with the heavyweights, you just don’t know when. “When”, it turns out, was the spring of 2008. That’s when Zimmer’s varsity heavyweight eight won five cup races, its most ever. The Lions went on to compile a 10-1 record and make the Grand Finals of both the Eastern Sprints and the IRA National Championship
Regatta, the former for the first time since 1955, the latter for the first time in the IRA’s modern format. It had taken four years, but Mike Zimmer’s team truly had turned that corner. Prior to becoming heavyweight coach, Zimmer had spent eight years as head coach of the Lion women’s crew. Under his direction, the Lions were ranked in the nation’s top twenty each of the final four years, and were considered for a berth in the NCAA Championships in 2004, his final season. That year was concluded with one of the best showings in the season-ending EAWRC Sprints in Columbia rowing history. The varsity eight made a great move to seize the lead in the Petite Final, while the novice four earned a Sprints medal by finishing third. The winner of the Petite Final would finish seventh of all the varsity eights in the East’s strongest conference. And Columbia gained that seventh spot. Although the Light Blue varsity eight had made the Petite Final four times in the previous six years, it had never finished higher than fourth in the race. The previous season had marked another step in the development of the women’s team; it posted a 7-3 record in 2003, its best since the late ‘80s. Prior to becoming the women’s coach, Zimmer enjoyed six years as head of the Lions’ lightweight men’s team. He was voted lightweight rowing’s EARC Coach of the Year after his 1996 team posted a 101 record and earned a bronze medal for third place at the IRA. At the time, it was the lightweights’ best season in their history. He has vast experience with men’s rowing, much of it with the United States Men’s National Team. Most recently, he guided the U.S. Men’s Lightweight Four to eighth place in the 2005 Nations Cup,
Columbia - - rowing
in Amsterdam. In 2003, he led the U.S. lightweight eight to a silver medal at the 2003 World Championships. The preceding year his lightweight eight won a bronze. He also served as a coach of the U.S. Under-23 National Team in 2000 and 2001. He led the men’s lightweight four without cox to a fifth place in 2000 and the men’s pair to fourth place and men’s eight to second-place finishes in 2001. For his efforts that year, Zimmer was selected as rowing’s Developmental Coach of the Year by the United States Olympic Committee’s Coach Recognition Program. For many years, he coached the New York Athletic Club, which he led to more than 25 national championships and 15 titles at Canadian Henley, winning the Barnes Trophy as the top men’s club three times.
jon douglas
Assistant Coach Fourth season
Jon Douglas is in his fourth year coaching the freshmen heavyweights and recruiting oarsmen for Columbia. Douglas has been an integral part of the heavyweights’ recent successes, including 15 Cup wins since he joined the staff and three top 12 finishes for all three boats that entered the IRA National Regatta in 2010. His freshmen capped off the 2010 season with a berth in the Grand Final of the Eastern Sprints Regatta.
Zimmer was an accomplished lightweight rower at Princeton. His lightweight eight won the collegiate national championship in 1988. He competed in the U.S. National Championships and the Pan American Games Trials, as well as the 1988 Koninklijke Regatta on the Bosbaan in Amsterdam. Following his 1988 graduation with a degree in English, he taught and coached in Connecticut for a year, and then became freshman lightweight coach at Princeton. His initial college coaching effort resulted in an undefeated season and an Eastern Sprints championship for his first boat, a 6-1 record and third place in the sprints for his second boat, and another third place, in the IRA Regatta, for the Tiger freshman four with coxswain. Zimmer lives on Morningside Heights, near the Columbia campus.
During the summers of 2003 and 2004, Douglas served as the assistant coach for the U.S.A. Junior National Rowing Team. He led the Junior Men’s Coxed Four to a fourth-place finish at the Junior World Rowing Championships the same year the US eight won the silver medal. Douglas also coached the U.S.A. eight, four and pair to CanAmMex gold medals. A varsity heavyweight letterman at Cornell, Douglas went on to row for the U.S. National Team during the summer of 2002. Coached by present Columbia heavyweight head coach and director of rowing Mike Zimmer, Douglas earned a bronze medal with the U.S.A. Lightweight Eight at the 2002 Senior World Rowing Championships. He also placed sixth in the International Lightweight Final at the CRASH-B Championships.
Douglas came to Columbia from the Rutgers, where he served as freshman heavyweight coach and led the Rutgers freshmen to impressive regular-season and Eastern Sprints showings while heading a productive recruiting effort. Prior to Rutgers, Douglas had been assistant coach of the varsity heavyweights at Cornell from 2003-04.
“I’m very excited to have Jon Douglas on the Columbia heavyweight coaching staff,” Zimmer said. “Jon and I worked very well together when he rowed on the 2002 National Team. He and I share philosophies on the efficacy of hard work and preparation. Jon has been a very diligent recruiter and has instilled the work ethic in the Columbia freshmen that they need to succeed at the varsity level.”
Douglas served as head coach at Brookline (Mass.) High, leading the Warriors to the 2002 and 2003 Massachusetts Public School Championship titles. Under his guidance, Brookline qualified for the US Rowing Youth Invitational for the first time in the school’s history.
Douglas entered the coaching profession after his stint with the National Team. He received a B.S. in environmental engineering from Cornell University and currently resides in Brooklyn.
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the varsity Name Forrest Anderson Chris Austin Stone Cao Matt Celano Sam Collins Mike Donohue Pat Fernbach Janelle Geddes Greg Hawxhurst Ryan Jones Ezra Kebrab Sebastian Kirwan Tom Olivera Mike Rawlings Erik Schiferle Kyle Schmidt Sara Strongman Noah Whitehead Ian Winthrop Charles Wu Max Zinner
Cl. Sr. Sr. So. Sr. So. So. Sr. Jr.-CC Sr. So. So. Sr. Jr. Jr. So. So. Sr.-CC So. Jr. So. Sr.
Ht. 6-5 6-2 5-10 6-3 6-5 6-4 6-0 5-0 6-2 6-7 6-2 6-4 6-1 6-3 6-2 6-0 5-5 6-1 6-2 6-2 6-3
Hometown New York, N.Y. Nashville, Tenn. North Grafton, Mass. Lafayette Hill, Pa. Perth, Australia Malvern, Pa. Williamsville, N.Y. Lexington, Ky. Syosset, N.Y. Mount Vernon, N.H. Rockville, Md. Wilton, Conn. East Rockaway, N.Y. West Chester, Pa. Getzville, N.Y. Sarasota, Fla. Bethesda, Md. Shaker Heights, Ohio Roxbury, Conn. Shrewsbury, Mass. St. Louis, Mo.
High School Bronx Science Montgomery Bell Academy Noble & Greenough School St. Joseph’s Prep Trinity College H.S. Malvern Prep Canisius Paul Laurence Dunbar Chaminade Phillips Exeter Academy Richard Montgomery Wilton Chaminade Malvern Prep Canisius Pine View Sidwell Friends School Hawken Phillips Exeter Academy Shrewsbury Mary Institute and St. Louis CDS
6-8 6-2 6-2 6-0 6-2 6-0 6-2 5-7 6-1 6-5
Linz, Austria Rockport, Maine Melbourne, Australia Massapequa Park, N.Y. Wilmette, Ill. Orefield, Pa. Jacksonville, Fla. Seoul, South Korea Greenwich, Conn. Wellesley, Mass.
Akademischhes Gymnasium St. Mark’s Melbourne Grammar Chaminade New Trier The Lawrenceville School Jacksonville Episcopal The Lawrenceville School Greenwich Wellesley
the freshmen Clemens Auersperg John Clapp Ben Coombs Jerome Genova Connor Jones Daniel Kolbe Brent Laurint Seungki Lee Matt Lonski Danny Neilson
Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr.
Head Coach: Mike Zimmer, Princeton ‘88 (7th season as heavyweight coach; 21st season at Columbia) Assistant/Freshman Coach: Jon Douglas, Cornell ‘00 (fourth season) Rowing Athletic Trainer: Anthony Piegaro, Penn State ‘01 (fourth season) Boatwright: Vinny Ventura, Iona ‘69 (fifth season) Captains: TBD CC – Columbia College
BC – Barnard College
SEAS – Fu Foundation School of Engineering
“The incoming heavyweight class is a very strong group,” head heavyweight coach and director of rowing Mike Zimmer said. “This class has speed, depth and most importantly the character and work ethic that will allow them to contribute significantly to the heavyweight rowing program here at Columbia.” With the heavyweight rowing program having so much success, the process of selecting recruits has been rewarding for Zimmer and assistant coach Jon Douglas. “This year’s incoming class was drawn to the excitement of being a part of Columbia rowing and they want to help the program build on its recent success,” Douglas remarked. “Recruits of this caliber have options when it comes to choosing a university and rowing program. These student-athletes all saw a unique opportunity here at Columbia – to get a world-class education and race with a committed group of guys at the highest level and to do all of that in New York City.” Zimmer goes on to say, “We recruit student-athletes with a passion for racing, the drive to train hard, and the desire for a Columbia education. That is the foundation of Columbia heavyweight rowing. While we certainly look for speed and power in our recruiting, more importantly, we seek team players who fit with our crew’s culture and who will be committed to each other and the Columbia program. We are very proud of the class we have selected and we are confident they will excel here at Columbia.”
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spotlight on the lions Forrest Anderson ‘11CC
Sam Collins ‘13SEAS
New York, N.Y. • Bronx HS of Science
Major: Biology. Future Plans: Doctor. What do you like best about Columbia: The Core Curriculum is a really great way to get a true liberal arts education. I’m taking classes I never would have taken on my own and loving them. What is your favorite class: General chemistry. I had a great professor who really cared about teaching the material while still finding time to do a magic trick every class. What you like best about rowing: The teamwork. In any other sport there can be a single hero, but in rowing an entire team has to pull together to win. What has been your greatest thrill in rowing: Winning my first shirt, beating our seed by three spots at the Eastern Sprints, and watching the varsity make the Grand Final at the IRA.
Perth, Australia • Trinity College
Major: Civil Engineering Plans after Columbia: Make the Australian Olympic Team for Rio 2016 and work as a civil engineer designing bridges. Why did you choose Columbia: The opportunity to study and row in the United States was unbelievable. And Columbia has hands down the best combination of academics, rowing and location. What is your favorite class: Economics classes taught by Nobel Laureates What advice would you give to future Columbia teammates: Put in the work every day and you will get to where you want to go. Don’t put limits on yourself. What is your most memorable moment from rowing: Rowing under the George Washington on the Hudson during practice and winning the silver medal at the 2009 Junior World Championships.
Mike Donohue ‘13CC
Sebastian Kirwan ‘11SEAS
Malvern, Pa. • Malvern Prep
Major: Political Science Plans after Columbia: To row in the Blue Boat Race and race on the National Team. After that, I’d like to work on Wall Street. Why did you choose Columbia: World class academics as well as the tight knit and high achieving rowing team. What do you like best about Columbia: Exceptional professors and unbelievable campus. What advice would you give to future Columbia teammates: Step outside what you know; explore, engage, and expand your horizons. And pull hard. What is your most memorable moment from rowing: Stroking the Freshman boat at Sprints and then racing the 4x at the 2010 U23 World Championships Favorite meal: Wilma’s Egg White Special Omelette from John Jay dining hall
Tom Olivera
Wilton, Conn. • Wilton
Major: Civil Engineering. Future Plans: Start my own engineering company Why did you choose Columbia: Because it has one of the top engineering schools in the country, and I wanted to row for a great program. What is your favorite class: Calculus III. My professor was a French professor who came here for a semester to conduct research. What you like best about rowing: Walking through crews in the second thousand knowing that we are going to cross the line first. What has been your greatest thrill in rowing: Racing for, and representing Columbia all last season. What is your favorite thing to do in New York City: Go to new restaurants. And row. I would most like to have dinner with: Lance Armstrong
‘12CC
East Rockaway, N.Y. • Chaminade
Major: Biochemistry Future Plans: Row at Henley and become a doctor Why did you choose Columbia: Great sciences and a fast rowing program What you like best about rowing: Training trips to Florida, where you train twice a day in the sun and don’t have to think about anything besides rowing. What advice would you give to future Columbia teammates: Train hard and be coachable Favorite New York City neighborhood: Harlem What is your most memorable moment from rowing: My first practice and first race for Columbia. Representing the program and University is a thrill.
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spotlight on the lions Mike Rawlings ‘12CC
SaraEllen Strongman ‘11CC
Major: English Plans after Columbia: Row for the United States and coach rowing Why did you choose Columbia: My visit sold me. The coaches had a vision and the guys on the team were awesome. What do you like best about Columbia: The team chemistry. Everyone shares the same work etihic and the commitment to train to win the national championship. What advice would you give to future Columbia teammates: Buy into the program and know that we have coaches and athletes that know how to win. Be versatile and work hard. What is your most memorable moment from rowing: Staring down Marcel Hacker at Henley Royal Regatta. Favorite New York City neighborhood: Harlem Favorite meal: Baked manicotti
Major: Sociology Future Plans: Publishing Why did you choose Columbia: The city, the Core, the fast rowing program What do you like best about Columbia: The Core, winning races What do you like best about rowing: Racing. Rowing on the half-feather. What has been your greatest thrill in rowing: Sprinting through Navy at Sprints What is your favorite thing to do in New York City: Wander, get lost on the subway, eat at questionable restaurants Favorite New York neighborhood: The East Village Favorite meal: Steak and fries Site of your best vacation ever: Australia
West Chester, Pa. • Malvern Prep
Bethesda, Md. • Sidwell Friends School
Ian Winthrop ‘12CC
Noah Whitehead ‘13SEAS
Roxbury, Conn. • Phillips Exeter Academy
Major: Neuroscience and Behavior Future Plans: Row in the Olympics, become a doctor and coach rowing Why did you choose Columbia: Columbia rowers do not assume a victory. The guys here understand that you must race every day with wild abandon. Also, the core curriculum is exceptional. What do you like best about rowing: I like the work ethic and training necessary to succeed and how everything we do is done in order to get the bow in front. What advice would you give to future Columbia teammates: Pull like crazy. Favorite vacation: Junior World Championships in Beijing, China.
Shaker Heights, Ohio • Hawken
Major: Applied Physics Why did you choose Columbia: Columbia provides a great engineering education while maintaining a strong base in the liberal arts. The location and rowing program were a big draw. What do you like best about Columbia: The location in New York City is unbeatable. In my first year classes, many of my professors were extraordinarily knowledgeable and engaging. The rowing team is great and the guys on the team are serious about going fast. What you like best about rowing: Hard work pays off. Physically and mentally. At Columbia, all of the coaches and athletes are incredibly driven and focused on doing the work necessary to achieve our goals.
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