Adonis Pederson '25 Recruiting Profile

What makes me a good candidate?  Every day I strive to DO better & BE better than the day before - in life, school and rowing.  It's not about beating the other guy.  It's about beating myself!

I've always faced adversity - taking it on, head first.  Born with a cleft lip & palate has definitely placed obstacles in my way not faced by most, but I've worked hard to ensure that people can understand what I say, working diligently to perfect sounds that come so easily to everyone else.  I have applied this same work ethic to my academics, maintaining an above 90% average, and now my drive to develop as a rower.

Although I've always had a high level of endurance for cross-country running, I never found my place in other team sports.  However, once introduced to rowing in a late summer 2020 learn-to-row, I immediately fell in love and found a sport that could challenge my endurance.  From beating my personal best to building a strong team camaraderie where I feel accepted, confident, and competitive, I have found where I belong.  I can't control how I look or how I'm perceived by others; but, I can control how well I do in school, how I treat and work with my peers, how I develop as a leader, and how well I can perform on and off the water.  I have a desire to grow to become an elite athlete in this sport and am excited to be a part of a competitive collegiate team at a school that will fulfill my academic needs in computer science.  I am already seeing improvements in my splits and am driven to do better each time I get on the erg or in a boat.  I understand that work is required to improve strength, endurance, and technique - I'm ready for it.