Ludlowe's Stearns to Join Women's Crew at Cal

Madeleine Stearns, a senior at and a member of the Norwalk-based Connecticut Boat Club, recently signed a national letter of intent to join the women's crew team at the University of California-Berkeley. 

It has been a remarkable year-long journey for Stearns, who only started rowing with coach Liz Trond in November of 2009.  

A former standout for the Falcons in field hockey, basketball and lacrosse, Stearns made the decision to drop basketball and train with Trond, "to try something new, and get in shape for lacrosse." 

She made an immediate splash at Boston's Crash-B Indoor Regatta in February by rowing the 2000-meter piece in 7:42, placing her in the top tier of 300-plus high school girls at this international competition. 

After spending her February school break training at the Florida Rowing Center, and with the encouragement of  Trond, Stearns eventually decided to hang up her lacrosse stick and grab an oar.  

"From the moment she walked into the gym last November, Maddie has been one of the hardest working athletes I have ever coached," Trond said.

"It was clear from the beginning she was an incredible athlete, and with her work ethic and positive attitude she has developed into an elite level high school rower."  

Throughout the spring 2010 season, Stearns led the Connecticut Boat Club's novice boats to repeated success, culminating in gold medals in the 8+ and 4+ boats at U.S. Rowing's Northeast Regional Championships in Lowell, Mass.

In June of 2009, Stearns earned a position on U.S. Rowing's Jr. National CanAmMex Team and garnered national recruiting attention when she won both her events, the 8+ and 2-, in the International CanAmMex Regatta this past July in Oakridge, Tenn.

Stearns helped the CBC continue its dominance this fall in the "head racing" season.

Her boats won gold in the 8+ at the Head of the Housatonic, bronze in the 4+ at The Head of the Charles in Boston, gold in the 8+ at the Head of the Schuylkill in Philadelphia and double medals in the 8+ (gold) and 4+ (silver) at the Newport Autumn Rowing Festival in Newport Beach, Calif.

"We had a great fall season, and our team is committed to working hard this winter to defend CBC's National Championship in the spring," Stearns said.

"Maddie played a big part in our undefeated fall season in the Varsity 8, and I look forward to her continued successes this spring, and at Cal for the next four years," Trond added.

When asked why she chose Cal-Berkeley, Stearns said, "I was impressed by the tradition of and commitment to excellence in Cal's program - both academically and athletically.

"The chemistry and the energy of the coaches, athletes, and campus at Cal are remarkable. I've studied Chinese for four years at Fairfield Ludlowe, and I've worked very hard to establish myself in the sport of rowing.

"I want to continue my focus on Chinese and Asian Studies and I want to win an NCAA rowing championship. I thought Cal-Berkeley offered the best all-around opportunity."

Cal's women's crew team finished second at the 2010 NCAA championships and won national titles in  2005 and 2006.

"Everyone at Cal is thrilled Maddie Stearns is joining our program, and I'm very much looking forward to working with her," Cal coach Dave O'Neill said.

"From the moment she stepped on campus and met our team, it was clear that California was the place to be. We always look for recruits who have tremendous potential and the right attitude, and Maddie is exactly that type of person.

"She's accomplished a ton in our sport in a very short time, and the future looks very bright. She''ll have an immediate impact on our team and have great success in every way out here at Cal."