Another year at Hamilton College has arrived. While most students are settling in and hopefully enjoying a relaxing start to the fall, some are preparing for their athletic fall season. Both the men and women’s crew teams have under a month to get ready for the start of their fall season. Both Continental teams have four races scheduled over the course of September and October.
Coach Rob Weber gained great experience this summer. Coach Weber, who coaches both the men and women’s teams, coached the U.S. women’s four at the U23 World Rowing Championships.
The women’s team is looking to build on a strong showing last season. Last May the team came in 5th place out of the 7 NESCAC entries to the National Invitational Rowing Championships. They were ranked 10th in the final poll of the season. Hamilton had two rowers honored on the all-NESCAC teams. Ann-Sophie Koglin ’20 earned second team for the women and Trent Pfeiffer ’19 made second team on the men’s side.
While students have only been on campus for just over a week, the team is not wasting any time. Sophomore coxswain Rachel Sutor ’20 is very excited for the start of the season. When asked about it, she said, “At the first team meeting there was a palpable energy in the room. Everyone is feeling the incredible potential we have. Now it’s time to harness it. We have some exciting new recruits, and I cannot wait to see them out on the water.” It is a very promising year for the women’s team. They did not graduate any seniors last year, therefore the new team members will have strong and experienced leaders to look up to and learn from. Sophomore rower, Elizabeth Foot ’20, knows how important the first couple weeks are. When talking about the upcoming season and anticipation, she said, “We’re all super excited for this season and [for] all the new freshmen to be here. We’ve all been working really hard this summer and so far this fall to be in the best position going into the fall race schedule.” In the same conversation with Sutor, she explained why she believes the team will not become complacent based off last season’s success. She elaborated and said, “we had a solid performance last year, but now we are ready to kick it up a notch. Preparation for a bid to NCAA’s in the spring is starting this fall. Our goal is to become one of the best DIII rowing programs out there.”
The women’s team historically has had more success than the men’s team. Fred Pollevick ’20 is very aware of that and wants the team to use it as motivation. When asked about men’s goals for the season he said, “Our team goal is to begin making a name for ourselves as Hamilton men’s rowing. Our women’s team is a tremendous, well recognized program, and we want the same thing.” Men’s captains Harrison Potter ’18 and Harry Thomas ’18 shared the excitement for the upcoming season. When asked about expectations and goals they said, “We have a number of great recruits who we are excited to have on the team. For our first varsity eight, we’re looking to build off of last year’s successes and medal if not win the Head of the Genesee. For our other boats, we’re looking to continue to develop and race our rising stars.”
Sutor may have summed up the team’s feeling going into the season the best. She said, “The returning team members have been training hard this summer to build upon what we made last year. Success will not come easy and we are ready to do what it takes to get there. We are a team of commitment, grit and tenacity. It is a real privilege to be in the boat with my teammates everyday.”
