Hard work, determination, communication, great coaching and a handful of strong women make up the winning recipe for Western’s women’s rowing team.

John Fuchs has been coaching Western’s women’s rowing team for 20 years, and said this year’s team is a special group of tough women.

“I think it’s the athlete’s work ethic; they work harder than anyone else I know,” Fuchs said. “I keep making things harder, and they respond by accomplishing the goals I set for them.”

The team’s hard work paid off on Tuesday, May 19, when they received official confirmation that they were heading to Camden, N.J., to compete for their 5th consecutive national title at the NCAA Division II National Championships.

The championships begin today and will continue through May 31.

Western’s women’s rowing team has competed in nine national championships, but with the help of an ever-changing roster, the team has become strong enough to place first for the last four years in a row.  

Even though the team remains undefeated, they are ranked No.2 nationally in the USRowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association NCAAP II Poll. East Coast Mercyhurst College is ranked No.1.

“We don’t pay attention to the polls,” Fuchs said. “It’s the opinion of a bunch of other people, and many of them have never raced against us.”

Western senior captain Audrey Coon has been on the women’s rowing team for four years and has a firsthand understanding of how much the team has advanced.

“It’s what we have been working toward,” Coon said. “I would hate to be overconfident, but I think we have a good chance of winning.”

In previous years, the rowing team has brought back many returning rowers who were more experienced, Coon said. This year, half of the varsity eight boat is made up of freshmen. Even so, Coon said the team remains strong.

“Our strength is by far our athleticism,” Coon said. “We’re a tight-knit group of girls. When we see each other at 5 a.m., we really get to know each other at our best and worst.”

Western’s women’s rowing team proved to be the best in the region on May 16 when they won both the varsity eight and varsity four races at the unofficial NCAA Division II West Regional.  

Western junior captain Madeleine Eckmann is looking forward to competing for her third national title. She said everyone looks for a magic potion for success, but when it comes down to it, it is just hard work.

The team said they attribute much of their success to their coaches. Assistant coach Karla Landis has been coaching the team for six years. However, this will be her last year coaching at Western due to budget cuts.  

“She’s the most inspirational person in my rowing life,” Eckmann said. “She’s the definition of leading by example.”

Western senior coxswain Kristy Theodorson's job is to navigate the team through the water by communicating constantly with her teammates.    

“My job comes down to a judgment call,” Theodorson said. “I am the eyes, ears and mouth of the team, in a way.”

Theodorson said she is particularly excited about this race because she has never seen what the team can do when they are fully rested.

“We’ll go out and do some swings and power pieces this week,” Theodorson said. “But compared to what we have been doing to train, it will be a rest."

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