A Lifelong Passion
April 29, 2011 04:01 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. - Many college athletes push to stay in school to continue pursuing their passion, because for most, it all ends the day that they graduate. For senior Rachel Viglianco, this is not a concern.
Viglianco has been rowing since her freshman year, when she entered the program as a walk-on to the Novice squad, only after taking her dad’s playful advice to do a “real man’s sport.”
“I made the decision to go to a bigger school, rather than play a different sport at a smaller school,” said the St. Albans, W.Va., native. “For some reason, I believed that I could walk on to a Division-I team for a sport that I’ve never done before, and it surprisingly worked out.”
Only one year after walking on, Viglianco’s work ethic earned her a spot on the Varsity squad at the start of her sophomore year. She’s remained a central part of the team ever since.
“The improvements I’ve made since my novice year are phenomenal,” she admitted. “I’ve noticed that my skill and confidence level has gone up tremendously since I started rowing at WVU.”
Viglianco has had several successful seasons, both on and off the water, including being honored as a BIG EAST Academic All-Star, along with being named a National Scholar-Athlete by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association. On top of that, she managed to earn a spot on the President’s List, Dean’s List and Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll every year.
The Varsity mainstay strives for perfection on the water and in the weight room, where she has found that her efforts are paying off.
“Weight training is a huge part of our conditioning for rowing,” she added. “I had never really done much lifting before coming here, but it has become a passion for me. I look forward to those practices, because the strength training has really benefitted my rowing, even from last season to this season.“
Viglianco credits much of her progress to head coach Jimmy King, who entered the program the same year she did.
“Ever since I was a novice, Coach (King) always told me that I could do better, and I didn’t believe him,” she explained. “He always pushed me for more and it’s finally paying off, so it’s been really exciting seeing improvements on the water, on the ergometer and in the weight room.”
King joined the Mountaineers in 2007, and has made huge strides with the program since, including the addition of several well-known regattas on the schedule as well as the development of an annual home regatta on the Monongahela River.
“Jimmy has brought energy back to the program,” Viglianco admired. “He’s constantly pushing for more, which wasn’t the attitude before he came, and so do our other coaches, Tina (Griffith) and Meg (Ayers). They all push to bring out the best in each of us and it makes us want to keep getting better.”
The dedication of the coaches and the athletes has been shown several times this season, especially from Viglianco’s Varsity 8+ boat, which has achieved a gold medal at the Head of the Ohio, a bronze medal at the Occoquan Sprints, a fifth-place finish in the Grand Finals at the Knecht Cup Regatta and two top ten finishes at the Head of the Schuykill and Head of the Occoquan.
“One thing that we’ve done differently this season is stick with a lineup,” she acknowledged. “Before, Coach (King) was trying to figure out what worked the best, but this spring, my boat has been pretty consistent.”
Viglianco will be joined by senior Kate Brownson, juniors Shannon Gribbons and Jenelle Spencer, sophomores Rachel Purysch and Hilary Meale, freshmen Courtney Schrand and Karen Verwey, with novice coxswain Mallory Fischer in the Varsity 8+ boat at this year’s BIG EAST Championships on Sunday, May 1.
“We’re all confident that we are capable to win races and we’ve improved so much, in that respect,” she added. “The overall team mentality and continuity has increased drastically, along with our work ethic and dedication.”
As a senior, Viglianco has set high but reachable goals for herself, her boat and her team going into the championship regatta.
“As a team, the goal is to move up in points and in standing from previous years,” she continued. “For my boat, I don’t want to just get in the Grand Finals, but I want to work for first place. We’ve seen that we can compete with teams that we haven’t been able to before, so I would love to be racing for one of those top three spots.”
Graduating isn’t the only motivation for her going into this weekend, but also knowing that she will be there representing the state of West Virginia.
“One of the most exciting privileges for me is to represent my home state,” Viglianco said in admiration. “It’s not just the people of Morgantown that love our sports, but the people all around the state. There are athletes recruited from all over the world, and I get the honor of being one of the few athletes that represent the state they’re from. I couldn’t be more proud of that.”
Although this is the most important race of her career at WVU, this isn’t the end for Viglianco, because she doesn’t plan on leaving or giving up the sport anytime soon.
“Even with how much I have improved, there’s still so much ground I can cover,” said the secondary elementary education major. “The good thing about rowing is that it is a lifelong sport that I can continue doing even after I graduate.”
Viglianco plans to stick around next year to finish her degree, while mentoring the underclassmen and continuing to race at a higher level.
“They have masters events at the races for graduates and alumni,” she informed. “I hope to form a boat with the other girls who graduated. If not, there are boathouses and club rowing teams in cities all over the US, so depending on where I move, I’ll have the opportunity to continue doing what I love.”
Despite graduating, Viglianco is confident that she will continue rowing wherever she ends up, but for now, her confidence and passion is directed toward making some noise at the BIG EAST Championships on Sunday.
Viglianco has been rowing since her freshman year, when she entered the program as a walk-on to the Novice squad, only after taking her dad’s playful advice to do a “real man’s sport.”
“I made the decision to go to a bigger school, rather than play a different sport at a smaller school,” said the St. Albans, W.Va., native. “For some reason, I believed that I could walk on to a Division-I team for a sport that I’ve never done before, and it surprisingly worked out.”
Only one year after walking on, Viglianco’s work ethic earned her a spot on the Varsity squad at the start of her sophomore year. She’s remained a central part of the team ever since.
“The improvements I’ve made since my novice year are phenomenal,” she admitted. “I’ve noticed that my skill and confidence level has gone up tremendously since I started rowing at WVU.”
Viglianco has had several successful seasons, both on and off the water, including being honored as a BIG EAST Academic All-Star, along with being named a National Scholar-Athlete by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association. On top of that, she managed to earn a spot on the President’s List, Dean’s List and Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll every year.
The Varsity mainstay strives for perfection on the water and in the weight room, where she has found that her efforts are paying off.
“Weight training is a huge part of our conditioning for rowing,” she added. “I had never really done much lifting before coming here, but it has become a passion for me. I look forward to those practices, because the strength training has really benefitted my rowing, even from last season to this season.“
Viglianco credits much of her progress to head coach Jimmy King, who entered the program the same year she did.
“Ever since I was a novice, Coach (King) always told me that I could do better, and I didn’t believe him,” she explained. “He always pushed me for more and it’s finally paying off, so it’s been really exciting seeing improvements on the water, on the ergometer and in the weight room.”
King joined the Mountaineers in 2007, and has made huge strides with the program since, including the addition of several well-known regattas on the schedule as well as the development of an annual home regatta on the Monongahela River.
“Jimmy has brought energy back to the program,” Viglianco admired. “He’s constantly pushing for more, which wasn’t the attitude before he came, and so do our other coaches, Tina (Griffith) and Meg (Ayers). They all push to bring out the best in each of us and it makes us want to keep getting better.”
The dedication of the coaches and the athletes has been shown several times this season, especially from Viglianco’s Varsity 8+ boat, which has achieved a gold medal at the Head of the Ohio, a bronze medal at the Occoquan Sprints, a fifth-place finish in the Grand Finals at the Knecht Cup Regatta and two top ten finishes at the Head of the Schuykill and Head of the Occoquan.
“One thing that we’ve done differently this season is stick with a lineup,” she acknowledged. “Before, Coach (King) was trying to figure out what worked the best, but this spring, my boat has been pretty consistent.”
Viglianco will be joined by senior Kate Brownson, juniors Shannon Gribbons and Jenelle Spencer, sophomores Rachel Purysch and Hilary Meale, freshmen Courtney Schrand and Karen Verwey, with novice coxswain Mallory Fischer in the Varsity 8+ boat at this year’s BIG EAST Championships on Sunday, May 1.
“We’re all confident that we are capable to win races and we’ve improved so much, in that respect,” she added. “The overall team mentality and continuity has increased drastically, along with our work ethic and dedication.”
As a senior, Viglianco has set high but reachable goals for herself, her boat and her team going into the championship regatta.
“As a team, the goal is to move up in points and in standing from previous years,” she continued. “For my boat, I don’t want to just get in the Grand Finals, but I want to work for first place. We’ve seen that we can compete with teams that we haven’t been able to before, so I would love to be racing for one of those top three spots.”
Graduating isn’t the only motivation for her going into this weekend, but also knowing that she will be there representing the state of West Virginia.
“One of the most exciting privileges for me is to represent my home state,” Viglianco said in admiration. “It’s not just the people of Morgantown that love our sports, but the people all around the state. There are athletes recruited from all over the world, and I get the honor of being one of the few athletes that represent the state they’re from. I couldn’t be more proud of that.”
Although this is the most important race of her career at WVU, this isn’t the end for Viglianco, because she doesn’t plan on leaving or giving up the sport anytime soon.
“Even with how much I have improved, there’s still so much ground I can cover,” said the secondary elementary education major. “The good thing about rowing is that it is a lifelong sport that I can continue doing even after I graduate.”
Viglianco plans to stick around next year to finish her degree, while mentoring the underclassmen and continuing to race at a higher level.
“They have masters events at the races for graduates and alumni,” she informed. “I hope to form a boat with the other girls who graduated. If not, there are boathouses and club rowing teams in cities all over the US, so depending on where I move, I’ll have the opportunity to continue doing what I love.”
Despite graduating, Viglianco is confident that she will continue rowing wherever she ends up, but for now, her confidence and passion is directed toward making some noise at the BIG EAST Championships on Sunday.
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