National champion lightweights sign 21
June 30, 2009 | Lightweight Rowing
The Wisconsin women's lightweight program looks to add to its haul of five of the last six national championships and welcomes 21 student-athletes due to hit campus this fall who coaches Erik Miller and Dusty Darley hope will help continue the run.
The incoming group stretches from coast to coast and places in between, and includes five Wisconsin residents with two from Madison and one from Middleton. Among the group is a Virginia State Champion, a sister of a current UW swimmer, a wrestler, a daughter of a UW men's hockey NCAA champion and a rower already qualified for the 2009 FISA World Junior Rowing Championships.
A short biography on each of the signees follows.
Jessica Baldwin, Daly City, Calif.
Rowed three years at St. Ignatious College Preparatory ' boats took third at 2008 and 2009 Southwest Regional Championships ' was a middle blocker on the frosh volleyball team, helping team go undefeated ' ran cross country ' has 13 years of classical ballet training
Helen Beckner, Washington, D.C.
Rowed four years in openweight crews for National Cathedral School for Girls and Thompson Boat Center ' won the 2009 Virginia State Rowing Championship in the varsity eight ' stroked the school's varsity four to a 2007 National Capital Area Rowing Championship ' freshman eight won the 2006 National Capital Area Rowing Championship ' her junior eight placed 17th out of 68 in the junior women 's eight at the 2008 Head of the Charles ' junior-16 eight won the 2007 USRowing Boat Club National Championship ' took bronze in the junior women 's lightweight division at the Mid-Atlantic Erg Sprints this past January ' was a gold medal finalist for the National Spanish Exam in 2009 ' won a silver medal in 2008
Kayla Beckwith, Middleton, Wis.
Swimmer at Middleton High School ' team MVP as a senior ' 200 and 400 freestyle relays set school records ' named 2008 all-state in 400 freestyle relay, 200 freestyle relay and 50 freestyle ' 2008 honorable mention all-state in 100 freestyle ' 2007 honorable mention all-state in 200 medley relay, 400 freestyle relay, 50 and 100 freestyle ' team was state runners-up in 2005 and 2006 ' 2006 All-American 200 freestyle relay ' captained basketball team as a senior ' team won conference title and made state championship final four in 2009 ' won conference title and reached state final eight in 2008 ' track captain as a senior ' set school record in the 400 in 2009 ' set school record in the 4x400 relay in 2008, placing fourth at state meet ' Academic All-State ' All-American Academic ' National Honor Society ' mom, Sandy, was a UW Pom-pon squad member ' sister Danielle is on UW swim team
Caroline Cahill, Maplewood, N.J.
Rowed for three years at The Lawrenceville School ' spent senior and junior years in the varsity four ' rowed in the junior varsity four as a sophomore during her novice season ' will graduate with eight varsity letters ' won three letters in basketball from freshman to junior years ' ran two years of cross country and one year of track and field ' Dean's List student as a junior and senior ' took second place in Lawrenceville School Writing Contest for Prose in 2007
Constance Chucholowski, San Diego, Calif.
Attends Torrey Pines High School ' rowed four years with the San Diego Rowing Club ' won freshman four at Southwest Junior Championships in first year ' placed third in lightweight four in 2009 ' Placed third in lightweight four at Youth Nationals...named Team MVP as a frosh ' competed in eight years of gymnastics before turning to rowing ' member of the San Diego Youth Symphony ' National Honor Society Secretary ' on the USRowing Honor Roll
Rosie D'Orazio, Oakland, Calif.
Rowed three years with the Oakland Strokes, including two years with the lightweight eight ' took third place at the Southwest Regionals in 2008 ' qualified and competed in 2008 nationals ' attended Bishop O'Dowd High School
Meredith Freshley, Terrace Park, Ohio
Took first at 2009 Scholastic Nationals in lightweight four ' won same race in 2008 ' won lightweight four at 2009 Youth Nationals ' won same race in 2008...won 2008 Canadian Schoolboy Regatta in lightweight four ' also won Midwest Scholastic and Midwest Juniors in 2009 in same boat ' won Team Leadership Award in 2008 ' played three years of varsity soccer ' won Teammate Award in 2007 and 2008 ' father rowed at Ohio State ' attends Cincinnati Country Day School
Allison Gilmore, Eau Claire, Wis.
Attends Eau Claire Memorial High School ' four year swimming letterwinner ' been a first-team, second-team and honorable mention all-conference swimmer ' raced mainly 50-yard free, 100-yard free and relays ' captained team as a senior 2008 Wisconsin Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association Academic All-State Team ' mom Patrice Steiner Gilmore played volleyball at UW-Eau Claire ' uncle Don Steiner quarterbacked UW-Platteville ' grandfather Donald Steiner played football and basketball at UW-La Crosse
Jessica Hill, Madison, Wis.
Attended Madison West High School ' rowed for Camp Randall Rowing Club for four years ' captained team as a senior ' rowed at the 2007 Head of the Charles
Emily Jayne, Alexandria, Va.
Attended T.C. Williams High School ' rowing at T.C. Williams, placed second in the Canadian SSRA Championship ' made finals twice at Stotesbury Cup ' won gold, two silvers and two bronze medals in lightweight eight at Virginia Scholastic Rowing Championships ' also rowed with Old Dominion Boat Club in the Head of the Schuylkill and Head of the Charles ' 2008 T.C. Williams Oarswoman of the Year ' 2008 Washington Post All-Met Honorable Mention ' played field hockey ' member of National Honor Society
Abby Knight, Clifton Park, N.Y.
Will row at the 2009 FISA World Rowing Junior Championships, August 5-8 in France in the junior double sculls ' rowed six years for Shenendehowa High School/Friends of Shenendehowa Crew ' placed sixth in Youth single at Youth Nationals...won the 2008 Head of the Charles and took second in 2007 in youth four ' placed second at 2008 USRowing Youth National Championships in lightweight double ' won 2007 and 2008 Stotesbury Cup in lightweight four and double ' won 2007 and 2008 Scholastic Nationals in same boats ' second at 2009 Stotesbury Cup and New York State Championships in senior single ' third in 2008 at Royal Canadian Henley in junior double ' won 2006, '07 and '08 New York State Championships ' 2007 and '08 NYSSRA Boat of the Year and 2008 and '09 NYSSRA Girls First All-State Team
Krisa Kuffel, Green Bay, Wis.
Bay Port High School swimming MVP as a junior and senior ' anchored All-State 200 freestyle relay ' all-state honorable mention in the 100 freestyle ' FRCC Conference record-holder in the 200 individual medley ' team was three-time conference champions ' captained team as a senior ' honor roll student ' president of Bay Port Badger Club as a senior
Jessica Lund, Lake Oswego, Ore.
Attended Oregon Episcopal School ' rowed three years ' Placed third at Youth Nationals in lightweight double...placed sixth at Youth Nationals in the lightweight double in 2008 ' took seventh at the 2008 Head of the Charles in youth women 's double ' captained team as a senior ' voted 'Most Inspirational Rower' as a junior ' grew up in Lake Elmo, Minn. ' competed in track and field for four years before rowing ' competed in the Northwest Science Expo
Caroline Mansueti, Chevy Chase, Md.
Attended Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School ' rowed as a novice in 2005-06 ' member of varsity eight since 2006 ' won 2006 National Capital Championship D.C. area (NCC) in novice eight ' took third at 2007 NCC in varsity eight ' 2009 Washington Metropolitan Interscholastic Rowing Association varsity eight ' 2008 Charm City Sprints women's single novice sculler winner ' wrestled from 2007-09 for Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School ' won wrestling coaches award as a senior
Rebecca Newman, Bethesda, Md.
Attended Walt Whitman High School ' began rowing in 2008 ' reached semifinals in women's eight at 2009 Stotesbury Cup ' won gold at Maryland state championships ' swam for 10 years with Curl Burke Swim Club ' 2006 CCSDA champion and record holder ' CCSDA Coaches Award recipient ' state qualifier in Maryland and Virginia ' Potomac Valley Swimming Scholar-Athlete ' National Merit Scholar Semifinalist ' saxophone player for high school wind ensemble, jazz ensemble, Montgomery County Senior Honors Band, Maryland All-State Band
Kathryn Ourlian, Grosse Point Park, Mich.
Attended Grosse Pointe South High School ' rowed with the Detroit Boat Club for over four years ' took first at the 2008 Michigan High School Championships in the single sculls ' placed second in the second varsity eight at the 2008 Midwest Junior Rowing Championships ' varsity eight placed 16th at 2008 Youth National Championships ' took first in single and double sculls at 2008 Grand Regatta in Grand Rapids, Mich. ' attended 2007 Junior B Development Sculling Camp ' placed fourth at the 2007 USRowing Club Nationals in single sculls ' made finals of 2007 Royal Canadian Henley in junior double sculls
Gabrielle Read, River Edge, N.J.
Attended River Dell Regional High School ' rowed since March 2008 for the New York Rowing Association ' reached semifinals in the junior pair at 2008 Canadian Henley ' three year member of track team ' was a catcher during two years of high school and club softball ' also played two years of field hockey ' uncle won the 2005 National Lifeguard Championship for Rowing ' father is a professional musician ' mother a Museum of Modern Art executive in New York
Catherine Roddy, Mendota Heights, Minn.
Attended Cretin-Derham Hall High School ' three-year member of the varsity alpine ski team ' served as team captain as a junior and senior ' played junior varsity tennis as a frosh ' played three years of golf ' has rowed as well ' Cretin-Derham Hall Student of the Month for Spanish, math, chemistry and sociology
Ashley Ryan, Madison, Wis.
Attended Middleton High School ' a swimmer for 12 years ' teammate of fellow recruit Kayla Beckwith ' captained team ' four-year state qualifier and four-time All-American in swimming ' team finished as state runners-up during her first two years of high school ' also played on hockey and lacrosse teams ' captained the hockey team ' National Honor Society member ' father, Tom, was a member of Wisconsin's 1983 NCAA championship hockey team
Hillary Schmidt, Tampa, Fla.
Rowed for six years at Berkeley Prep ' now rows for Tampa Rowing Club ' Placed 6th in Youth double at 2009 Youth Nationals...2009 state champion in the women 's double sculls ' 2009 Southeast Regional champion in double sculls ' took first in single sculls at 2009 Head of the South ' second at the Head of the Hooch ' was a diver for three years ' originally from Chicago ' ' National Honor Society student
Erin Wylie, Buffalo, N.Y.
Attended Nardin Academy ' rowed three years ' won 2008 Unsung Hero Award ' 2007 Coaches Award ' Placed 4th in Lightweight four at Youth Nationals...won Scholastic State Championships in lightweight eight in 2008 ' won 2008 Canadian Henley in lightweight eight ' co-captained team as a senior ' All-Catholic League MVP in 2007 during four years of varsity golf ' co-captain as a senior ' 2009 Air Force Scholar/Athlete of the Year ' class president as a junior and senior ' president of National Honor Society
