Dedicated Rower Sets Standard for Teammates

Such words convey perfectly the athletic excellence of senior lightweight rower Zach Alessi-Friedlander. As a model of dedication in the boat, and, perhaps more importantly, in the weight room, Alessi-Friedlander has put in four years of hard work to become one of the most respected members on the lightweight crew team.

“Zach sets the standard for training,” junior captain Joey Hoepp said. “He pushes everyone to train harder, but no one comes close.”

On a team where diligence is key to staying on top of one’s game, Alessi-Friedlander stands as the quintessential example of commitment. Everyone on the team is quick to acknowledge his work ethic as incredible, and, as Hoepp made clear, unmatchable.

y´lessi-Friedlander has been with the team through thick and thin. He joined the crew team as an inexperienced first-year walk-on from Wilton, Conn., never having rowed before. According to Head Lightweight Crew Coach Dan Lewis, he was a “complete novice.” To keep up with his more experienced teammates, Alessi-Friedlander had to work hard.

He advanced quickly. In just his second year rowing, he joined a boat that eventually claimed the Ivy League Championship, one of the “most successful in school history,” in Hoepp’s words. It was an amazing accomplishment for a sophomore with just a year of experience.

But the accolades did not stop there.

“As a junior, he was ranked as one of the top five lightweight rowers in the country according to the ergometer,” Lewis said.

Alessi-Friedlander’s reputation has spread. First-year rowers who hope to follow in his footsteps are impressed by his work ethic.

“He is crazy,” Ted Eckert, a first-year lightweight from Buffalo, N.Y., said, referring to Alessi-Friedlander’s training commitment.

Outside of his sport, Alessi-Friedlander, who is double majoring in archaeology and art history, is a model to younger students as a first-year resident adviser in Carman.

“He is one of the toughest guys I know,” Hoepp said.

This season, the lightweight team has had one race in Princeton, N.J. against the Princeton Tigers and the Georgetown Hoyas. The Light Blue varsity boat came in third behind both Princeton and Georgetown with a time of 6:36.17. The second team fell to Princeton as well. Although this year’s team may not be quite as strong as that of the 2000 season, it can still benefit from Alessi-Friedlander’s overall intensity—a trait that is admired by all Lions lightweights.