Senior captain Merrick leads women’s crew

With the semester coming to a close, the F&M crew team is still going strong in its season.

Alex Merrick ’10, a senior captain of the women’s crew team, is enjoying her final season here at F&M. 

Merrick started rowing her freshman year here at F&M. In high school, she was a four-year cross country runner and an indoor and outdoor track distance runner. She had originally planned to continue competitively running at F&M until a last minute pep talk from her brother, who was also a rower, convinced her otherwise. 

Her brother played a very influential role in helping her decide to row. Merrick would attend many of his regattas at Lafayette College and would chat with his teammates and coach about the sport. Together they convinced her that she had the right build to be a successful rower. 

The Diplomats have been successful in competition so far in the season. In their first regatta, the team placed second out of three and placed third out of fourth in their next two regattas. In the Murphy Cup, the Diplomats took second out of nine teams and held the second-fastest time of the six teams that qualified. 

Merrick described the season as going well. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen our team as dedicated and hardworking as we are right now,” she said. “It is great considering we have the potential to do extremely well this season. Our main competition has never been so close and as long as we continue to put in the hard work and focus, I see the team achieving and setting new goals for the program.”

The beginning of the season brought major changes to the crew team, including a new coach.

“But I think we have adapted quite well and really put a solid step forward training- and competition-wise under Coach Weber,” Merrick added.

Even though the team has experienced some losses as far as numbers go, especially on the men’s team, the team chemistry has remained solid. 

The team works well together even if there is some competition for spots in the varsity boat. Together the teams are focusing on finishing the season strong and, hopefully, exceeding everyone’s expectations. There is a tremendous amount of positive energy on the team, which has helped everyone throughout the season. 

In her last season with the Diplomats, Merrick says her biggest accomplishment has been becoming captain and watching the team go from a club sport three years ago to a competitive varsity program. She is also excited about rowing her personal best earlier this season. 

“None of this would have been possible without the support of my teammates and coaches,” Merrick said. 

“As crazy as it sounds, and as much as I hate early morning practices, I will miss being out on the water watching the sunrise,” Merrick said when asked what she will miss most about crew. She also said that she will miss the competition, her teammates and the coaches. 

 After playing the sport for four years, Merrick has fallen in love with rowing. Merrick describes herself as a person who needs to be involved in some sort of athletic competition. 

“Rowing has become my outlet; it’s therapy,” Merrick said. “Going out on the water and having a great practice is incredibly relaxing and satisfying.”

Along with rowing, Merrick is a sister of Alpha Phi Fraternity and a member of the Anthropology Club. She also works in the admissions office. 

Merrick is currently exploring her options and looking for jobs after college. She has not ruled out volunteering as an assistant coach for the crew team if she remains in the area.