Rowing Announces Recruiting Class

Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham Rowing program announced its 2018-2019 recruiting class today. Joining the Rams in the Fall of 2018 will be Hanna Decker, Elizabeth Kerrigan, Alexandra Levy, Paige McCallum, Claudia Tagliavia, and Lauren Yu.
 
The incoming freshman come from both club and scholastic rowing backgrounds.  Experienced rowers include:  Lauren Yu (Scarsdale, N.Y./Pelham Community Rowing Association), Claudia Tagliavia (Stamford, Conn./Greenwich Crew), Paige McCallum (Villanova, Pa./Shipley School Crew), and Elizabeth Kerrigan (Falls Church, Va./Georgetown Visitation Prep. Crew).  Alexandra Levy (Bay Shore, N.Y./Bay Shore HS Crew) will join the team as an experienced coxswain.

Lauren Yu (Scarsdale, NY - Pelham Community Rowing Association) has been rowing for six years with PCRA.  She has competed at a very high level as a junior rower, competing in a 2x at Youth Nationals this June, making semifinals in the 2x event at Canadian Henley and racing twice at the Head of the Charles Regatta.  Lauren was also a member of her school's honor society, Signifer.

Claudia Tagliavia (Stamford, CT - Greenwich Crew) began rowing as a sophomore and has competed for three seasons with Greenwich Crew.  Claudia helped her team capture the Women's Team Points Trophy at Northeast Regionals for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, with the team winning the Overall Team Points Trophy in 2018 as well.  Claudia also competed with her team at Youth Nationals in Sacramento this last month.  In addition to her success on the water, Claudia has also been very successful in the classroom.  She received High Honors from her school for four consecutive semester between 2014-2017 and was a member of National Honor Society  and Spanish National Honor Society.  Claudia was also recognized for excellence in science, history, and Spanish and served as the treasurer for her high school Spanish club.

Paige McCallum (Villanova, PA - Shipley School Crew) has been rowing for two years.  During her two years with the Shipley School, Paige won the Philadelphia City Championships in the novice 2x event in 2017 and in the lightweight 4x event in 2018.  Her lightweight 4x went on to win the Scholastic Rowing Association of America National Championships for 2018.  Paige was also elected two times as captain of her swim team.  She was also recognized by her school in 2018 as the winner of the Mandarin Language Award.

Elizabeth "Lizzie" Kerrigan (Falls Church, VA - Georgetown Visitation Prep. Crew) was a four-year member of her school's rowing team.  Lizzie competed in the first varsity 8+ for three of those four years, placing third in the Virginia State Championships in 2018.  She also raced at Club Nationals during the 2017 season and placed fourth overall in the women's senior elite 8+ event.  In recognition of her awesome rowing accomplishments, Lizzie was awarded Washington Post All-Met Honorable Mention this last year.  Lizzie also performs at a high level academically and received first and second team academic honors all four years of high school.

Alexandra "Alex" Levy (Bay Shore, NY - Bay Shore HS Crew) served as a coxswain with Bay Shore for all four years of her high school career.  During three of those four years, Alex provided invaluable leadership to her team as an elected captain.  Her contributions to the team were widely recognized and she received the MVP award for the 2017-2018 season.
 
Each of these athletes will play a key role as they integrate into the varsity squad and help fill seats left available by our graduating senior class.  The freshman recruits will be able to have an immediate impact on the competitive success of the team and the coaching staff looks forward to welcoming them to the team for the start of our 2018-2019 season.
 
In addition to the experienced recruits, the Rams also welcome Hanna Decker (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville HS Track and Field).  Although Hanna has no previous rowing experience, she comes from a competitive running background and will be a great addition to the novice squad.
 
"We look forward to building upon our team's success from the 2017-2018 season as this group of incoming recruits begins making contributions on the water," said head coach Ted Bonanno. "Fordham Rowing is excited to see what our varsity and novice squads are capable of achieving in the 2018-2019 school year."