Because of YOU!!!
With the support from the STEWARDS of 1874
THAT’S ALL OF YOU!!!!
One of our own, Vrishank Nalla ’30, has earned a seat in the US U19 National Team 4 – and will be representing the United States at the World Championships next week in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
From our first phone call with Vrishank last August, it was immediately clear he fit the mold of the type of student-athlete we want to recruit hard – the kind that is critical to have around our boathouse.
He appreciates the hard work of training, loves the high level of competitive drive and discipline needed to find success, and knows that this sport reveals a lot about the type of person you are.
His focus on the journey of training, and the constant push to keep growing and flexing new skills when given opportunities, fit perfectly into Coach Hoopman’s mission of finding athletes who want to work to get better every year, and our teams longstanding cultural value of personal development.
After bringing him out for an official visit in November to meet the guys and see campus, we were thrilled to secure his commitment to be a Badger.
In early June, just a few days before he and his PNRA/Mercer crew made an impressive run to a 4th place finish in the Men’s 8 at Youth Nationals, Vrishank shared with us that he had been taken off the U19 National Team Selection Camp waitlist and had been invited to camp!
While he was excited about the offer to attend and wanted to share the good news with us, he also shared it was up in the air if he would be able to go due to the exorbitant price US Rowing charges participating athletes ($7300 for the Selection Camp and another $5600 to travel to the World Champs if selected).
Enter the Stewards of 1874…….
I immediately spoke with Coach Hoopman and our Stewards leadership and we agreed that this was the perfect opportunity for the Wisconsin High Performance program (WHP) to support one of our own: a now proven National Team caliber athlete who wanted to take on a challenge at the next level.
On July 11, Vrishank shared with me the incredible news that he had not only earned a spot on team USA, but had secured a seat in the priority boat this summer: the Men’s 4-.
To go from waitlisted at camp, to a last-minute call up, to battling some of the best Junior rowers in the country for a seat, is a remarkable feat!
Vrishank has put in the work (not only over the last several weeks, but last several years), and demonstrated again how his character and efforts are the exact type of person we need at Porter.
The work he has put in earned him the opportunity to rise to meet this moment, and your continued support of Stewards and the WHP allowed him to seize the opportunity and make it possible.
Vrishank Nalla ’30
What does this mean for the Badgers this fall?
This adventure Vrishank has thrown himself wholeheartedly into will not only help prepare him for a higher level of competition when he arrives on campus this fall, but will help our entire program become a stronger and more competitive team. The National Team camp experience, the international race experience, and the confidence boost he is getting throughout the process are some of the critical components our program needs to remain competitive at highest level.
Young men like Vrishank (and he is far from the only one on our squad this coming year) help our program continue chasing that high standards of commitment, excellent, and relentless pursuit of competitive success.
As we gear up to welcome a new group of novice walk-ons into the boathouse this fall, we are fortunate to have folks like Vrishank on the squad who can lead the way in helping these athletes develop, and also see a sky-high vision of success for the team and themselves – if they are willing to put the work in to achieve it.
Thank you! Your support of the Stewards of 1874 Excellence Fund made Vrishank’s journey possible and will move our team in the right direction: back to the top of the IRA podium. Your support is laying the foundation for more competitive success for our team, and changing the lives of young people along the way!
On! Wisconsin!
Lowell McNicholas, WHP Director & Recruiting Coordinator
Wisconsin Rowing
lm4@athletics.wisc.edu
608.658.0575
SUPPORT WISO ROWING
Wisconsin Rowing’s strength has always come from its people—oars in the water, pulling as one. As we look to the future, your involvement is more important than ever. Whether through financial support or lending your time and talent, there are meaningful ways for every alum to contribute to the continued success of the program.
