Life as a Mountaineer – Kileigh Lade
May 02, 2022 10:55 AM | Rowing
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - West Virginia University senior Kileigh Lade says rowing began for her during the spring of her freshman year of high school in Cleveland, Ohio.
Her interests then were in soccer and swimming, and she used rowing as more of an offseason activity to stay in shape.
"It was one of those things when I got in the water I realized how different of a sport it is and that kind of kept me coming back," she says.
Lade took all of her official visits, including trips to Florida and Iowa. Once she came to West Virginia, though, she became hooked on the atmosphere here.
"The fan base in West Virginia is electric, and it is one of those things where rowing is not a super-big fan base sport, but it's still like to a West Virginia person, 'You row for West Virginia? That's so cool.' I'm like, 'Really?' It's the craziest atmosphere."
The senior captain says the support system she's developed during her five seasons at WVU has helped make Morgantown a home away from home.
"I tell people all of the time here it's like having parents away from parents. When things happen in my life, obviously, I want to call my parents and tell them, but then I want to tell (coach) Jimmy (King), (assistant coach) Tina (Griffith) and (assistant coach) Mikie (Sevick) just the same. It's just having that constant support system.
"Now that it's my fifth year, everybody calls me 'grandma' and 'me-maw' so people call me for advice a lot. I'm the person to get advice from, and I get them to laugh more often, though," she adds.
Lade earned Academic All-Big 12 First Team honors last year while participating in five of WVU's six regattas. She was also a member of the 1st Varsity 8+ boat that won the finals of the George Mason and Robert Morris Invitationals and competed at last year's Big 12 Championships.
While eyeing her final Big 12 championship race May 16 in Austin, Texas, she is also becoming reflective of the five wonderful years she's spent at West Virginia University.
"My favorite things are traveling in general; I like our training trips. Being here so long, it's not really a memory, but I feel like I've been here for a crucial part of the program so getting to see the program I came into to the program I'm leaving is the coolest thing ever," she says.
This week's Life of a Mountaineer was produced by Megan Crain and is presented by WVU Medicine.
Her interests then were in soccer and swimming, and she used rowing as more of an offseason activity to stay in shape.
"It was one of those things when I got in the water I realized how different of a sport it is and that kind of kept me coming back," she says.
Lade took all of her official visits, including trips to Florida and Iowa. Once she came to West Virginia, though, she became hooked on the atmosphere here.
"The fan base in West Virginia is electric, and it is one of those things where rowing is not a super-big fan base sport, but it's still like to a West Virginia person, 'You row for West Virginia? That's so cool.' I'm like, 'Really?' It's the craziest atmosphere."
The senior captain says the support system she's developed during her five seasons at WVU has helped make Morgantown a home away from home.
"I tell people all of the time here it's like having parents away from parents. When things happen in my life, obviously, I want to call my parents and tell them, but then I want to tell (coach) Jimmy (King), (assistant coach) Tina (Griffith) and (assistant coach) Mikie (Sevick) just the same. It's just having that constant support system.
"Now that it's my fifth year, everybody calls me 'grandma' and 'me-maw' so people call me for advice a lot. I'm the person to get advice from, and I get them to laugh more often, though," she adds.
Lade earned Academic All-Big 12 First Team honors last year while participating in five of WVU's six regattas. She was also a member of the 1st Varsity 8+ boat that won the finals of the George Mason and Robert Morris Invitationals and competed at last year's Big 12 Championships.
While eyeing her final Big 12 championship race May 16 in Austin, Texas, she is also becoming reflective of the five wonderful years she's spent at West Virginia University.
"My favorite things are traveling in general; I like our training trips. Being here so long, it's not really a memory, but I feel like I've been here for a crucial part of the program so getting to see the program I came into to the program I'm leaving is the coolest thing ever," she says.
This week's Life of a Mountaineer was produced by Megan Crain and is presented by WVU Medicine.
Players Mentioned
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/ RowingAlumni Series | Kate Brownson
Thursday, March 12
Alumni Series | Barb Navarini Higgins
Tuesday, February 24
Alumni Series | Lori Sherlock
Saturday, February 07
Jimmy King & Tina Griffith | 25 Years of Rowing
Saturday, February 07
