Transfer for Rowing

Athletic Recruits
1

Hey guys,

I currently study at a large public university in Florida, but I’m interested in potentially transferring elsewhere for crew. I started rowing last fall (in the first few days of my freshman year) for our club team after having wanted to row for years, and basically I’m just wondering if it’s plausible/feasible/practical to transfer. My high school dream school was the University of Wisconsin, and I’d love to row for them, but I seriously just want to row for a school whose crew has resources and the drive and will to improve.

Firstly, is this even an option? I’m currently a sophomore, so would it be worthwhile? How would I go about pursuing this?

Athletic info: 6’3", ~170 lbs, 6:50 2K (but haven’t pulled a 2K since last spring—I erged a lot over the summer, so I’m sure it’ll go down)

Academic info: 4.0, ~90 credits (credits attained in high school dual-enrollment and so far in college), two years of collegiate marching/volleyball/basketball band, volunteering/internships

Thanks!

2

My son is currently being recruited for rowing at D1 schools. He is a tad shorter than you but similar size. He was told by his HS coach that being recruited by top schools for HW rowing would be difficult at his weight (170) as they really want talk and big guys. He’s switched to LtW.
I do know that in order to be recruited for HW you need a great 2k sub 6:30.
You may be able to be a walk on but is really focus on dropping your 2k score or looking at a less competitive school than Wis.
Good luck!

3

Wisconsin doesn’t recruit the way most other D1 programs do. They take lots of walk ons and specialize in training from the bottom up. You should definitely contact the coaches there. It sounds like he would be a good academic fit too though I don’t think all your CE credits would transfer. Transferring before junior year isn’t a big deal–lots of community college students do it