The Georgetown women’s rowing team opened their fall season Saturday, Sept. 28 on the Potomac River in a friendly scrimmage against the George Washington Revolutionaries and Navy Mids.
Both the openweight and lightweight women participated in the regatta, debuting new faces from the first-year recruiting class and showing off their returning squads in mixed boats rather than boats seated by time. The congenial scrimmage served as a useful warm-up for testing competitive waters ahead of the racing season.
In total, the Hoyas have 80 rowers on their roster this year, revealing a robust depth that the program has worked for years to build. As a result, the openweights will be able to send 5 boats — a 1V8+, 2V8+, 1V4+, 2V4+ and 3V8+ — and the lightweights 3 boats — a 1V8+, 2V8+ and 1V4+ — into the racing season. The lightweights will likely also support a double scull and a coxless pair.
Both teams are bringing back most of their athletes in their respective top varsity 8 boats: the openweights return 7 and the lightweights return 4. However, the rest of the rosters likewise carry plenty of talent throughout. For example, the openweight 2V8+ that earned Patriot League boat of the week honors in May returns sophomore coxswain Yanna Grammas, stern pair juniors Ellie Power and Sydney Thompson, senior 6-seat Julia Ashton, sophomore 4-seat Rebecca Estevao, junior 3-seat Alex Junko and bow pair juniors Khaki Sawyer and Eva Andersen. The teams also run a walk-on program that brings in promising athletes every year.
Openweight co-captain and senior Hadley Winslow said the construction of the team generates momentum and motivation from the bottom-up.
“We say this all the time, but speed comes from the bottom, from the last boat, pushing the next boat, pushing the next boat, pushing the next boat, all the way up till the 1V8+,” Winslow told The Hoya. “It’s super exciting this year to feel the fullness and the robustness of the roster, where we have the biggest team that we’ve had in the last four years.”
The incoming class of recruits is also well-rounded and set up to make a difference. The openweights welcomed eight new athletes from clubs around the country, ranging from Hockaday Rowing in Dallas, Texas to Greenwich Crew in Greenwich, Conn., and the lightweights welcomed seven new athletes from a similarly diverse geography, ranging from the Los Gatos Rowing Club in Los Gatos, Calif., to the Whitemarsh Boat Club in Conshohocken, Pa.
Lightweight co-captain and junior Bella DeLeo said she thinks the first-year recruits bring an ideal blend of traits that will elevate the team all-around.
“We were looking for athletes who had a love for the sport, skill, determination and fit into our unique culture,” DeLeo told The Hoya. “Their potential is huge and we’re confident that they’ll make an immediate impact while also growing into strong leaders for the future of this program.”
The Hoyas registered an up-and-down 2023-24 year. They excelled at the Head of the Occoquan last fall, medalling across the board, and won the team points trophy at the Dad Vail Regatta in the spring. At the same time, the openweights did not secure the 1998 Cup, a historic award given to the winning Varsity 8 boat in the annual head-to-head matchup between Georgetown and GWU.
Similarly, despite winning silver in the Varsity 8 competition at the 2022 IRA National Championships and bronze at the 2023 IRA National Championships, two all-time best performances for the program, the lightweights recorded only a 5th-place finish this past season.
Lightweight co-captain and senior Grace Wolter said it is important for the team to maintain consistency and grit throughout the entire year to achieve its ambitious goals.
“Bella and I have been placing a significant emphasis on being intentional with every practice and stroke this season,” Wolter told The Hoya. “Focusing on the day-to-day work rather than getting too far ahead of ourselves will serve us well this year.”
“The athletes on our team are bought into our success, so I am excited to see how the season progresses,” Wolter added.
Openweight co-captain and senior Amrit Chapman said the spirit of perseverance was essential to success over the course of both the fall and the spring.
“It’s a long year of 20-hour weeks every week, which is pretty unique to the sport of rowing,” Chapman told The Hoya. “I’d say I don’t think a lot of other sports are like that. Our energy is great coming into the school year.”
“My hope for this year is that we can really keep that excitement and grow it towards the end of the year, towards our championship race,” Chapman added.
Besides Head Coach Kendall Mulligan (GRD ’21) and lightweight Coach Abbey Wilkowski, who are entering their seventh and eighth seasons with the program respectively, the Hoyas also have second-year Assistant Coach Serra Sevenler on the openweight side. In addition, the lightweights added Assistant Coach Amelia Clute this offseason, who comes to the Hilltop having captained the Cornell Big Red during her collegiate rowing career.
Mulligan said she is proud of how far the program has come along since she first arrived and sees a bright future for this season and beyond.
“Even when starting my career at Georgetown, the team was known to be close-knit, but the biggest change I have seen now is the standards are raised for accountability and what is needed for success,” Mulligan told The Hoya. “Today’s team is built upon the legacy of those that came before and paved the way for new opportunities. We are grateful to all that came before and led us to where we are today.”
Next weekend, the openweights travel to the Navy Day Regatta in Philadelphia, Pa. and the lightweights race at the Occoquan Chase in Fairfax Station, Va. Both teams look to impress and kick off the competitive season on a high note.