Drexel University Athletics
Women's Rowing Welcomes 13 Newcomers for the 2024-25 Season
9/12/2024 1:00:00 PM | Women's Rowing
PHILADELPHIA - The Drexel women's rowing team is excited to welcome 13 new additions for the 2024-25 season.
The incoming class includes Grace Conroy, Grace Demers, Mary Katherine Hackenberg, Kira Morjakovs, Stella Ortega, Kari Prosperi, Lila Seidenberg, Lauren Shaw, Chloe Zaragoza and Paulina Restrepo will look to make an immediate impact. Additionally, Drexel will add valuable experience from transfers Anna Boatman, Lauren Boyce and Sammy Szlachta.
"These incoming 13 student-athletes are going to have an immediate impact on our program," said Drexel women's rowing head coach Katie Lane. "Their competitive experience, paired with their eagerness to make their mark in their upcoming collegiate careers show a lot of promise for the future of women's rowing at Drexel. I couldn't be more excited to welcome them to our team and start working with them this fall."
Anna Boatman | Jr. | San Clemente, Calif. | San Clemente / Seattle Pacific University
Boatman, a transfer from Seattle Pacific University, joins the team after back-to-back trips to the NCAA Rowing Championships. The junior captured gold at the NNAC Championships last season and helped win boat of the week awards with both the Varsity 8+ and Varsity 4+.
Lauren Boyce | Jr. | Baldwinsville, Pa. | Charles W. Baker High School / Duquesne
Boyce comes to Drexel following two seasons with Duquesne University. The former New York Scholar-Athlete was a four-year rowing team member at Charles W. Baker High School, winning the Junior 4 Rowing State Championships in 2021.
Grace Conroy | Fr. | Media, Pa. | Villa Maria Academy
Conroy attended Villa Maria Academy in nearby Malvern, Pennsylvania, having competed with Whitemarsh Boat Club and PennAC Gold. She won gold at the Mid-Atlantic Youth Championships with the Second Varsity and placed 2nd at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta. Conroy rowed in the Varsity 8+, finishing 12th overall at the 2024 USRowing Youth National Championships.
Grace Demers | Fr. | Lincoln, R.I. | Bayview High School
Demers joins Drexel from Bayview High School in East Providence, Rhode Island. The Lincoln, R.I. native was a five-year rowing team member, spending time as both a coxswain and a lightweight sculler. Her father, Paul, was a former rower at the Naval Academy.
Mary Katherine Hackenberg | Fr. | Doylestown, Pa. | George School
Hackenberg attended George School, where she helped start the program and was a team captain. The Doylestown, Pa. native finished first in the Core Creek Invitational with the Novice 4+ and was a recipient of the Laramore Service Award.
Kira Morjakovs | Fr. | Cape May, N.J. | Ocean City High School
Morjakovs comes to Drexel after attending Ocean City High School in Ocean City, New Jersey. The multiple sport athlete was a three-year member of the rowing team and was selected team captain her senior season.
Stella Ortega | Fr. | Chicago, Ill. | Ogden International High School
The Windy City native was a three-year member of the rowing team. Ortega earned a bronze medal at the Midwest Rowing Championships her sophomore year and qualified for the SRAA Nationals.
Kari Prosperi | Fr. | Erdenheim, Pa. | Mount Saint Joseph Academy
Prosperi attended Mount Saint Joseph Academy, where she helped win the school's first title in 15 years at the Stotesbury Cup Regatta in 2022, also taking gold her junior year. The Erdenheim, Pa. native took a silver and bronze medal at the SRAA Nationals and attended the Youth Nationals all four years of high school.
Paulina Restrepo | So. | West Chester, Pa. | Unionville High School
Restrepo joins Drexel after attending Unionville High School in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. The current Drexel sophomore won a silver medal with the Second Varsity 8+ at the Stotesbury Cup in 2023, and earned a ninth place finish at the SSRA Nationals in the Junior Varsity 4+ in 2022. This will be her first year on the team at Drexel after rowing out of Undine Boat Club last year.
Lila Seidenberg | Fr. | Ridgefield, Conn. | Ridgefield High School
The Ridgefield, Connecticut native joins the team after rowing for the past four years at Connecticut Boat Club. Most recently, Seidenberg competed at the 2024 Youth National Championships in the Varsity 4x, finishing 10th overall in the nation.
Lauren Shaw | Fr. | Ocean View, N.J. | Ocean City High School
Shaw joins the Dragons from Ocean City High School, where she was a team captain and two-year varsity winner. The freshman earned a silver medal at the Atlantic County Championships with the Varsity 8+ in 2024. Additionally, Shaw won bronze at the Garden State Championships in 2024 and in the Lightweight 4 in 2023.
Sammy Szlachta | Jr. | Havertown, Pa. | Merion Mercy Academy / Duquesne University
Szlachta transfers to Drexel after two seasons with Duquesne. The Havertown, Pa. native won a silver medal at the Head of the Schuylkill with the Freshman 8+ her freshman season, plus she took gold at the Head of Ohio Regatta. In high school, Szlachta was victorious at the SRAA Nationals in 2022, winning silver in 2021.
Chloe Zaragoza | Fr. | Niskayuna, N.Y. | Niskayuna
The Niskayuna, New York native was a medalist at the New York State championships in 2023. Zaragoza also earned bronze at the Stotesbury Regatta in the 2022 junior quad event.
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