2024 Women's Lightweight Rowing Roster
Blake, Kalena
Kalena Blake
- Class:
- Senior
- High School:
- National Cathedral School
- Hometown:
- Bethesda, Md.
Bio
Awards:
IRA Varsity Eight Gold Medal (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
IRA Women's Lightweight Crew of the Year (2022, 2023)
Eastern Sprints Varsity Eight Gold Medal (2022, 2023, 2024)
IRA All-Academic Team (2022, 2023)
2024: Graduated having never lost a first varsity race ... Took down No. 2 Radcliffe for the Class of 1999 Cup ... Won the Class of 2015 Cup over No. 4 Stanford ... Dropped No. 5 Georgetown for the Class of 2006 Cup ... Earned gold at Eastern Sprints, the boat's third consecutive gold ... Went wire-to-wire to win the boat's fourth straight IRA gold, helping the Tigers to back-to-back-to-back IRA Commissioner's Cup.
2023: Was on the Varsity Eight that did not lose all year … Defeated Radcliffe for The Class of 1999 Cup by over 12 seconds … Collected The Class of 2015 Cup with a 10.4-second decision over No. 4 Stanford … Earned The Class of 2006 Cup with a 10.3-second win over No. 3 Georgetown … Picked up gold at the Eastern Sprints by 4.3 seconds … Nabbed gold at the IRA National Championships by 6.2 seconds … Helped the varsity eight to its third straight IRA gold medal … Led Princeton to the IRA Commissioner’s Cup for the second straight season … Raced at Henley Women’s Regatta.
2022: Member of the 1V that did not lose all season … Boat won the Class of 2006 Cup over Georgetown by 13.1 seconds, defeated Radcliffe by 4.3 seconds to win the Class of 1999 and took down No. 3 Stanford on the road by almost nine seconds … 1V also won Eastern Sprints, won gold at the Dad Vail Regatta before securing its second straight IRA gold medal.
2021: Rowed for the 1V that won the National Championship with 26.3-second victory over Wisconsin.
Before Princeton:
High School: Member of the Student Government … Student Body President … School paper … Modern UN, Peer Mentor and Peer Tutor.
TBC Racing/CCRC … 2017 VASRA State championship runner-up in Freshman eight … 2018 WMIRA state championship runner-up in second eight along with a title in the Stotesbury second eight … Bronze medal at 2019 USRowing Nationals in the U19 eight and the Intermediate 8 along with a fifth place finish in U19 four … Gold Medal at 2019 Royal Canadian Henley in U-23 eight and fourth place finish in U19 four at Canadian Henley.
Academic: Social Sciences Award at Flag Day … National French Exam Gold Medal.
Personal: Daughter of Sofia and Robert Blake … Has two sisters, Isabella and Alexie … Father, Robert, played squash at Harvard.
IRA Varsity Eight Gold Medal (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
IRA Women's Lightweight Crew of the Year (2022, 2023)
Eastern Sprints Varsity Eight Gold Medal (2022, 2023, 2024)
IRA All-Academic Team (2022, 2023)
2024: Graduated having never lost a first varsity race ... Took down No. 2 Radcliffe for the Class of 1999 Cup ... Won the Class of 2015 Cup over No. 4 Stanford ... Dropped No. 5 Georgetown for the Class of 2006 Cup ... Earned gold at Eastern Sprints, the boat's third consecutive gold ... Went wire-to-wire to win the boat's fourth straight IRA gold, helping the Tigers to back-to-back-to-back IRA Commissioner's Cup.
2023: Was on the Varsity Eight that did not lose all year … Defeated Radcliffe for The Class of 1999 Cup by over 12 seconds … Collected The Class of 2015 Cup with a 10.4-second decision over No. 4 Stanford … Earned The Class of 2006 Cup with a 10.3-second win over No. 3 Georgetown … Picked up gold at the Eastern Sprints by 4.3 seconds … Nabbed gold at the IRA National Championships by 6.2 seconds … Helped the varsity eight to its third straight IRA gold medal … Led Princeton to the IRA Commissioner’s Cup for the second straight season … Raced at Henley Women’s Regatta.
2022: Member of the 1V that did not lose all season … Boat won the Class of 2006 Cup over Georgetown by 13.1 seconds, defeated Radcliffe by 4.3 seconds to win the Class of 1999 and took down No. 3 Stanford on the road by almost nine seconds … 1V also won Eastern Sprints, won gold at the Dad Vail Regatta before securing its second straight IRA gold medal.
2021: Rowed for the 1V that won the National Championship with 26.3-second victory over Wisconsin.
Before Princeton:
High School: Member of the Student Government … Student Body President … School paper … Modern UN, Peer Mentor and Peer Tutor.
TBC Racing/CCRC … 2017 VASRA State championship runner-up in Freshman eight … 2018 WMIRA state championship runner-up in second eight along with a title in the Stotesbury second eight … Bronze medal at 2019 USRowing Nationals in the U19 eight and the Intermediate 8 along with a fifth place finish in U19 four … Gold Medal at 2019 Royal Canadian Henley in U-23 eight and fourth place finish in U19 four at Canadian Henley.
Academic: Social Sciences Award at Flag Day … National French Exam Gold Medal.
Personal: Daughter of Sofia and Robert Blake … Has two sisters, Isabella and Alexie … Father, Robert, played squash at Harvard.
Princeton Athletics 2023-24 Highlights
Tuesday, June 04
Highlights from 2022 Gary Walters ’67 PVC Awards Banquet
Wednesday, June 22
Sights and Sounds: Women's Lightweight Rowing 2022 IRA Championship
Tuesday, June 07
Princeton Athletics 2021-22 Highlights
Monday, June 06
