Zachary Mittelsteadt '22 Recruiting Profile

I have played competitive sports ever since I was a little kid.  I loved being part of a team – whether football, soccer, basketball, but I eventually found even more fulfilment in sports where I could push myself to my limits and measure my individual progress. 

First with running; I was always one of the fastest kids, but then one day my friend Lucas beat me in a one-mile test at school.  In retrospect, I was probably complacent approaching the race; he out-kicked me at the finish.  I can still remember the feeling of the defeat, and this has certainly spurred me on to train harder and never take anything for granted. 

For me, rowing combines the best of both worlds in that it is the ultimate team sport and depends on consistent effort throughout training and all-out effort on the day of the race.  The feeling of crossing the finish-line and collapsing over your oar; ideally with a win, but most importantly having drained your body of every last ounce of power and knowing that you did all you could for your team.