Mackenzie Allen '21 Recruiting Profile

I am a good candidate for any team because I am a great teammate, a hard worker,  highly coachable, and do not give up when things get difficult. I am also a leader and a positive, mature influence on any team. All of these traits can easily be confirmed by my coaches and teammates. 

I am a military kid and have been moving around my whole life, including having lived in Japan twice. This experience shows that I am adaptable and able to take on any challenge thrown at me, in or out of the boat. We moved to Virginia from Japan when I started 8th grade. Although I was still in middle school and new to the area, I was selected to swim and play softball for TCW's JV teams. Unlike most of my teammates, I started rowing at TCWHS as a freshman. I made the freshman boat and we had a great season, winning the Stotesbury Cup and placing second at the SRAA National Championships. This success did not come without obstacles and my coach challenged me to lead my team at Stotes after a tough second place finish at VASRA State championships. I did my best to convince my teammates that we should believe in each other and show everyone that we were better than our performance at States. While it felt great to win, it was even better to know that my teammates believed in me as much as I did in them. At the end of the season, I was awarded MVP and elected team Captain.  

This season, I rowed on the TCW 1V as a sophomore and I learned that freshman season is a utopian bubble compared to competing at the varsity level. My coaches again looked to me to lead despite a disappointing season and being the youngest girl on my boat. I stepped up and gained a lot of experience and perspective that I look forward to continue utilizing next season. Getting through this difficult experience also shows that I have balance and can manage myself well, as seen in my GPA and academic achievements - including a more rigorous course load than my fellow sophomores. Along with crew, I swim for my high school's swim team, where I have earned a Varsity Letter twice, and was selected for the 2018 District Championships. 

In my short crew career, I've shown I can be a positive leader and a loyal teammate. I believe these experiences have prepared me well for this summer's U19 Women's Mid-Atlantic ODP Camp, a great junior season, and hopefully a college rowing career.