Senior rower Ellie Falk has stepped into the role of team co-captain this year, hoping to lead the team to success in the Patriot League races on May 14.
Falk, who is on the varsity eight and has led the team to two Patriot League Boat of the Week nominations for the first time ever, didn’t start rowing until high school.
Falk said she played ice hockey throughout high school but was introduced to rowing by a friend who invited her to an indoor practice on a night she happened to have no hockey practice.
“I instantly loved it, which is kind of weird because I went to a February practice – we weren’t on the water, we were just in a gym with a bunch of rowing machines in it,” Falk said. “I don’t know why I liked it so quickly, but I did.”
Assistant coach Alex Urbanik said her hockey experience benefitted Falk when transitioning over to rowing.
“I think Ellie has been one of the more just naturally gifted athletes that we’ve had on the team,” Urbanik said. “She had been playing hockey, and I think that served her really well in terms of being competitive and being able to have that athleticism in the boat.”
Ellie had initially tried to get recruited for ice hockey, but after being injured senior year of high school, many of her recruiting options disappeared. She spontaneously visited Lehigh and met with the rowing coaches to present her high school race times. She was a late recruit, but it worked out in her favor.
Falk said she committed just three days later.
Urbanik describes Falk as one of the more committed and mindful teammates on the team and went on to explain how she has grown into her leadership role.
“I think that she has always been someone that has had these leadership qualities. But I think this year, in particular, is the year that she’s really sort of embraced that role, ” Urbanik said. “I think one of the things that has been kind of fun to see is to see her actually turn into this person because I think that this is someone that we saw that she could be when we were recruiting her.”
Junior Liz Buck said Falk is a supportive and caring leader that reaches out to her teammates.
“There have been numerous times where I’ve had a bad day at practice, and she texts me and follows up with me afterward, making sure I’m OK, not just from a practice and team standpoint but also as a friend,” Buck said.
While she will be graduating from Lehigh soon, Falk is returning to be an assistant coach.
Falk and her team will look to continue on their success and capture a Patriot League Championship on May 14.
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