By Ariana Wilson
The 2023 Cal Poly Humboldt Rowing Team made history two seasons ago, paving the way for the 2025 season. May 2023, the team earned their third NCAA Division II Rowing National Championship title in program history, ending their season with proud smiles and trophies in hand. The two previous national championship trophies were won in 2012 and 2014, their finish in New Jersey ended an 11-year title drought.
Women’s rowing has been putting in the work this fall after their second-place finish at the 2024 National Championship in Bethel, Ohio.
Rowing at Humboldt accepts athletes with little to no experience in the sport, which was the perfect opportunity for this year’s novice group. For first-year rowers, they join the Novice team for a year to work on fundamentals and the technical aspect of the sport. Rowers with past experience typically join the Varsity boats.
The CPH Varsity Rowing Team has two boats; the 8+ racing shell is designed for eight rowers and a coxswain, who sits at the front of the boat and steers. Respectively, the 4+ racing shell is designed for four rowers and a coxswain. Each seat in the boat controls a different aspect of their performance. The fastest rowers are typically in the middle of the boat while the rowers the furthest from the coxswain are the most technically sound and have the most balance and stability.
Mia Kelm, an Art History and Museum Studies major, approached the team while they were tabling at the club fair in September and decided she wanted to try out right then.
“They had a friendly atmosphere that made it more welcoming to someone like me who has never played any sports before,” Kelm said. “I’m aware I still have a lot to learn, which makes me determined to keep going and do my best.”
Kelm found out about the team through an email aiming to recruit athletes for the team and she has had to adapt to the foreign world of athletics from her art student routine.
“I am being trained as a coxswain, which is basically the person in charge of driving the boat, and has its own unique sets of challenges,” Kelm said. “Rowing is an incredible sport, centered around teamwork — which Humboldt’s team has shown to value immensely.”
Kylie Mosley was a freshman and the second seat in the Varsity 4 boat that won nationals in 2023. Coming in as a junior, she has big goals for this team and the outcome of this season.
“We are focused on team culture. It’s a big part of the sport,” Mosley said. “It’s a difficult sport, physically and mentally. We’re trying to establish trust early on, being there for each other and knowing we have each other’s back.”
Mosley is from Pittsburg, PA and her move to Humboldt was intentional, following her zoology major to a program that met all of her needs academically.
“I don’t want people to step down from challenges,” Mosley said. “I have a job, an internship, I’m from out of state. It’s difficult, but it’s also really rewarding when you can do it, and it’s even more of a pat on the back to yourself.”
She joined the novice team her first year and moved to the Varsity 4 halfway through the season, where the team had to get used to the new addition and make adjustments.
“Rowing was all I thought about that entire year and I dedicated so much time to it,” Mosley said. “I knew there was this thing at the end of the year; I wanted to make it to that and I wanted to show up for my team and my coaches.”
That thing was the National Championship. Senior Dana Foley led the Varsity 8 and collected accolades; 2023 Rower of the Year and 2024 All-American First Team. The 8 boat was undefeated the entire season, and the 4 boat clung onto that energy to secure a double national title with both boats winning their races.
“It’s possible [this year], but it’s dependent on us putting in the work right now,” Mosley said.
Last year, the difference between a national title and second place was 3 seconds, which still haunts some rowers, like senior Emily Marsolais. She was 5th seat for the Varsity 8 boat that placed fourth at the GNAC championships with a time of 7:18.44. Marsolais’ work paid off, earning her Division II All-American Second Team honors.
“Last year lit a fire in me to push myself through the summer to come back strong,” Marsolais said. “I was determined to be in that 8.”
Her competitive drive is a product of her years as a tri-sport athlete competing in swim, water polo, and skiing in high school. Throughout this summer, Massolais has had the motto, ‘I can and I will,’ which she hopes motivates her team to push and buy in.
“I really want to do well this year but I also want to leave the team with the ability to continue to be successful in future years,” Marsolais said.
This is a comeback season for the rowing team. The Lumberjacks will get another opportunity to face their rivals Western Washington and Central Oklahoma on the water this spring.
Ariana Wilson is a junior Journalism major and the Lumberjack Sports Editor. As a member of the Cal Poly Humboldt Women’s Volleyball team she brings an athletes perspective to our rising sports section. She intends to merge her passion for the environment and conservation with her love of journalism as a science writer.
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