A Dynamic Princeton Pair, Collins and Reelick, To Represent The U.S. Four

The United States Rowing Team will send 74 athletes among 22 boats to the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia which starts on Sunday.

This is the first opportunity for countries to qualify boats for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Of the 74 athletes, four are Princeton alums. Along with Emily Kallfelz '19 and Nick Mead '17, Claire Collins '19 and Kelsey Reelick '14 make up half the women's four.

That's right, half the women's four will feature a von Kienbusch winner and a NCAA national champion.

After winter training, Collins and Reelick raced against each in different pair boats at the beginning of March. Reelick's boat finished ahead of Collins' crew, but the top four pairs were invited to a selection camp in California in May. After training at Lake Carnegie in the spring, the selection camp featured seat races which are contests with different combinations.

At the end of the camp, the four boat of Collins, Reelick, Molly Bruggeman and Madeleine Wanamaker were put together for the World Cup II. That four eventually went on to win gold by over two seconds.

Despite winning gold, there was no guarantee that the boat would be kept together – usually it would go back into selection – but the United States decided to keep it together for the World Rowing Championships.

"It's fun to have a bunch of Princeton athletes in the circuit and training," said Collins. "It shows the high caliber of the boathouse because it prepares you for the national team along with the support later. Lori (Dauphiny) is always checking in on us and the men's coaches are always asking how things are going and cheering us on."

"What all of us have as Princeton athletes who have been through the boathouse is that we loved our time here," said Reelick. "We all won here, still talk to the coaches, come back to the boathouse, and are involved in reunions. As an alumna of this program, it's been very healthy and fun."

The program Reelick speaks of is the women's open rowing team that has finished in the top 10 of the NCAA Rowing Championships 10 of the last 13 seasons.

Reelick began her time at Princeton as the lone freshman in Princeton's NCAA champion varsity eight. She followed that with a fourth-place finish during her sophomore year and silver medal in her junior campaign. Reelick nabbed two All-Ivy selections and a first-team All-America honor as a senior.

It wasn't one race for Reelick that stood out about her time at Princeton, but the hard workouts in preparation for races.

"I loved Tuesday and Thursday afternoons in the winter when we would come down to the boathouse for hard workouts in the ergs, either two by 5K or five by 2k," said Reelick.

Imagine the boathouse with aggressive music playing in the background. Everyone is yelling, trying to get through their set. It's the women's open and men's lightweight team together. Its chaos.

Reelick loved it.

"It was fun to me," said Reelick. "It's coming down and collectively suffering but making it fun. I really loved moving as a team and moving with my teammates."

Fun is an interesting way of describing suffering.

"You know what you're putting yourself through," said Reelick. "I just think having your body be used to it and knowing what you could do to push harder, seeing people around and feeling the energy. That's fun suffering."

"Rowers are wired differently than most people," said Collins. "Pushing our bodies to the edge where you're breathing hard, your heart is beating crazy, your muscles are tired, but you can feel the person next to you in the same rhythm, there's a thrill-seeking aspect to that."

Collins had a distinguished career at Princeton as well, collecting four straight Ivy League titles, three All-American awards, three straight first-team All-Ivy selections, an NCAA Woman of the Year nomination and of course, the 2019 C. Otto von Kienbusch Award, given to the top senior woman athlete at Princeton.

"I think the best are the little moments where you have an inside joke with your team or your boat," said Collins describing some of her favorite memories with the Tigers. "I also really liked the Princeton Chase because the whole team gets together and races, usually in multiple boats. It's a race we care about, but it's not the most critical so everyone is a little more relaxed about it."

While the two alums didn't overlap at Princeton, they have a connection they share with their teammates.

Head coach Lori Dauphiny.

Last fall, Reelick came back for a month to help Dauphiny and it helped remind her of what the CRCA Hall of Famer does for her athletes.

"She's constantly here, helping people or making calls for others," said Reelick. "She lives and breathes the team. She's such a fierce, strong-willed person. She believes in you and tries to give that to you. When I was rowing for her, she was always there with her megaphone. There might be some megaphone banging or yelling, but she was always there. That made a strong-willed, tenacious rower and that's what you get from Lori. She gives it her all no matter what it is."

"There are times on the national team when we have a fine practice, but it's a stagnant period and I'll go 'I just want Lori to shout or yell at me,' said Collins. "Only Princeton rowers will understand that. It's drive and passion. It's 'She believes in me, so I know I can do better.'"

Collins also mentioned when, after her sophomore season that included a dominating Ivy League Sprints performance and disappointing NCAA run, Dauphiny listened to the team's ideas and thoughts about the next season. Changes were made and the team went back to the NCAA Grand Final during her junior campaign.

"I think that taught me about listening to teammates and having the ability to advocate for ourselves," said Collins. "Kelsey and I are very confident in our feedback and driving the process for what we want for the national team and that has helped us."

The two Princeton alums are immensely proud of what the team has accomplished since they've both graduated.

"It never ceases to be exciting," said Reelick talking about Princeton's victory over No. 1 Texas, which ended the Longhorns' 26-race winning streak. "It was amazing to watch them."

Princeton's varsity eight went on to medal at the NCAA Championships for the second straight season, the first time since 2010-11.

Who rowed on that 2011 Varsity Eight NCAA gold medalist?

Freshman Kelsey Reelick, of course.

Collins and Reelick along with Brugeman and Wanamaker will look to get into the top seven at the World Rowing Championships to qualify the boat for the Olympics.

"One of the things we've tried to mentally work on this year is knowing that we are putting in a lot of preparation and should have confidence," said Collins. "I think that's a great thing for us to take in, not just hoping we're going to get it, but the thought that we are ready when we go to the line."

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