Princeton National Rowing Association Congratulates Mercer Athletes on College Commitments

April 15, 2016

West Windsor, NJ – Princeton National Rowing Association’s Mercer Rowing Club (PNRA/Mercer) proudly congratulates our high school seniors as they commit to attend some of the nation’s elite universities in the fall.

2016 Mercer Spring Photos-1a
Top row: Albert Bergeron (The Hun School),Will Grimes (Hopewell Valley HS),David Pe (West Windsor Plainsboro HS North), Brandon De Paulis (The Hun School), Ani Shyansundar (West Windsor Plainsboro HS North), Joseph P. Brown (Hopewell Valley Central HS), Nikhil Modi (West Windsor Plainsboro HS South), Jason Fleurial (Princeton HS), Kevin Borup (South Brunswick HS), John Tanguay (Hopewell Valley Central HS) Bottom row: Eileen Hu (West Windsor Plainsboro HS South), Elise Gorberg (West Windsor Plainsboro HS North), Kathryn Miller (Steinert High School), Caitlin Cleary (Princeton HS), Kate Hickey (Notre Dame HS), Rachel Mumau (Millstone Township), Glorianna Perrotte (Monroe HS), Colleen Gillis (Freehold Township HS), Jenna Kugel (Montgomery HS), and Sydney Holgado (Robbinsville HS)

Albert Bergeron (The Hun School) – University of Delaware

Kevin Borup (South Brunswick High School) – Columbia University

Joseph P. Brown (Hopewell Valley Central High School) – Boston University

Caitlin Cleary (Princeton High School) – Brown University

Brandon De Paulis (The Hun School) – Hobart College

Jason Fleurial (Princeton High School) – Cornell University

Colleen Gillis (Freehold Township High School) – Miami University

Elise Gorberg (West Windsor Plainsboro HS North) – Boston University

Kate Hickey (Notre Dame High School) – Stanford University

Sydney Holgado (Robbinsville High School) – University of California, Berkeley

Eileen Hu (West Windsor Plainsboro HS South) – Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Jenna Kugel (Montgomery High School) – Naval Academy

Kathryn Miller (Steinert High School) – University of Pennsylvania

Rachel Mumau (Millstone Township) – Clemson University

Glorianna Perrotte (Monroe High School) – University of Miami

John Tanguay (Hopewell Valley Central High School) – Columbia University

Will Grimes (Hopewell Valley Central High School) will continue his studies at the Kent School and plans to row there as well.

Eighty percent of PNRA/Mercer seniors have plans to continue rowing after high school.

“Being recruited to row in college can really help a student through the admissions process,” says Mercer Program Director and Boys’ Varsity Coach Justin Ochal. “There are a lot of college rowing teams but not a lot of high school aged kids that live in areas where they can join a competitive rowing program like PNRA/Mercer. Kids learn to row with us and by their second, third, or fourth year of rowing, they might be competing at the national-level. PNRA/Mercer has a good reputation among the colleges because our student-athletes tend to be successful at the collegiate level.”

Senior co-captain Kevin Borup offers the following advice to athletes who are interested in trying out rowing. “They should start by signing up for a summer novice camp. If they enjoy the sport, then they should sign up for a novice season with Mercer Juniors. PNRA/Mercer has an amazing program, as our coaches are former collegiate and national team athletes themselves. We train out of the Caspersen Rowing Center in Mercer County Park, which has great facilities for us to use. Our team has some of the best rowers in the area and they all started somewhere.” Information on summer camps for middle school and high school age athletes is available at www.rowpnra.org.

About the Princeton National Rowing Association 

The Princeton National Rowing Association, a 501(c)3 organization, operates the Finn M.W. Caspersen Rowing Center located on the shores of Mercer Lake, Mercer County Park in West Windsor, New Jersey.  The Princeton National Rowing Association is dedicated to operating a world-class training site for our nation’s elite athletes, providing opportunities for area youth to excel in the sport of rowing and to expand rowing in the area through community-based programs.  PNRA runs the Mercer Junior Rowing Program which provides rowing opportunities for youth from over 30 area schools and the Mercer Masters Rowing Program which provides rowing opportunities for adults.  The center is a home to the USRowing National and Olympic Teams, as well as rowing clubs and schools. PNRA received generous support from Killrney’s Publik House, JL Racing, Swift Racing, Bai, Wells Fargo Advisors Gould Group, Holiday Inn and Residence Inn by Marriott.

For more information, contact Kristopher Grudt, tel: 609-977-1094, krisgrudt@rowpnra.org or visit www.rowpnra.org.