Mount Si grad helps Western Washington claim rowing title
July 17, 2009
By Ryan Piersol
Needing to rise at 4:15 a.m. to battle the cold and rain is enough to keep most college students away from the sport of rowing. Add to that fact that Katie Woolsey had never rowed in her life, and her friends at Western Washington University must have thought her crazy last fall.
Now, however, they think of her as a national champion.
On May 31, Woolsey — a former Mount Si soccer and track standout — helped WWU win its fifth consecutive Division II national championship in rowing. She was a member of the Vikings’ varsity eight boat that completed a perfect season by taking first place in the 2,000-meter grand finale at the championships in Cherry Hill, N.J.
WWU entered the event as the No. 2 ranked team nationally, an underdog to Mercyhurst. But the Vikings scored 18 points to Mercyhurst’s 13 and became the first Division II school to capture five straight titles.
Members of the Western Washington University varsity eight team react after winning first place at the national championships on May 31.
“There were DI schools there and it was all really intense. I just tried to act like I knew what I was doing,” Woolsey said. “It was a lot of pressure, because Western has this great tradition and I really didn’t want to let everyone down.”
The very fact that Woolsey was even on the team was unlikely. After finishing up her athletic career at Mount Si, she originally intended to play soccer at WWU. But Woolsey soon grew tired of the sport and, not wanting to run track either, began to look for something else to inspire her.
That’s when she found rowing, a sport that WWU takes enormous pride in.
“I’d played soccer most of my life and a little track. I wanted something new that I could compete at and Western had a great rowing program. They encourage walk-ons, so I thought I’d give it a try,” Woolsey said.
“At first, it was intimidating. I didn’t know how to row and all of my teammates had been doing it for three to four years. But the program at Western is designed for athletes who are driven who want to learn how to row.”
After deciding to not play soccer, it never occurred to Woolsey to simply go to school without engaging in active competition.
“I really like the camaraderie that competitive sports builds. I feel like you really get to know people when they are pushed to their limits,” Woolsey said. “When they’re in pain and under pressure, their true character comes out.”
Woolsey began learning to row in the fall of 2008. Her first regatta was in Tacoma during the spring 2009 season. On April 18, the team cruised to a Northwest Collegiate Conference championship, before both the varsity four and varsity eight teams won first place to lead the way to a NCAA Division II West Regional title on May 16.
At the national championships, the varsity eight team had a time of 6:52.60 in the 2,000-meter grand finale to beat Mercyhurst by a boat length and boost the Vikings to the overall victory.
Woolsey took the whole thing in, a little stunned at what had just transpired.
“Sometimes I can’t believe it happened. But I always worked out extra hard and I like to feel like I had prepared for this my entire life,” she said.
“It feels weird, because I have so many soccer shirts and track shirts. But I’m glad I did those too, because I think they gave me an edge.”
Reach editor Ryan Piersol at editor@snovalleystar.com or 392-6434.
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