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When Ellie-Kate Hutchinson isn’t training with Syracuse’s rowing team, she’s completing erg tests alone. Coming to central New York from Northern Ireland, Hutchinson’s ultimate goal is to join Great Britain’s national team. But, to be considered, she has to keep measuring her speed on the erg, a machine that simulates the movement of rowing a boat.

“To do an erg test by yourself is one of the hardest mentally challenging things you have to do,” said SU graduate student Emmie Frederico. “(Hutchinson) is very often incredibly nervous before them, but she fronts up to that and smashes it every time.”

Chasing Olympic dreams, Hutchinson is in her second year on Syracuse’s rowing team. In her first spring season in 2023, she was a part of the SU’s Varsity 8 that won the Atlantic Coast Conference Crew of the Year. Before her Syracuse career, Hutchinson rowed for Coleraine Grammar High School (Northern Ireland) and Bann Rowing Club — one of the oldest and most successful rowing clubs in Ireland.

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Hutchinson didn’t start rowing until she was 12, but her brother got her into rowing after a rugby injury caused him to pursue the sport. His passion urged Hutchinson to also try the sport and she quickly excelled.

“Ellie-Kate came onto the scene when she was around 15 and we noticed that she had potential,” said Bann coach Geoffrey Bones, who coached Hutchinson for over three years. “As she progressed it was obvious she had that extra bit of drive to do well.”

Bones said her biggest moment with the club came in the individual 2022 British National Schools’ Championship. He told her other competitors would fall off around the 1,000-meter mark. Though her competition stuck around the entire time, Hutchinson, who was in last place 1,000 meters into the race, came back to win gold in a photo finish.

Among other accomplishments, Hutchinson won the Irish Rowing Championships in the 8+ (2019), 4+ (2021 and 2022) and 2+ (2022). After her success in high school, Hutchinson had to decide where to row collegiately. For Hutchinson, the decision came down to coaching, and SU’s staff was exactly what she had envisioned.

“The (Syracuse) coaches made such a big impact — it just felt right,” Hutchinson said. “They care about us a lot.”

As a freshman with Syracuse, Hutchinson shined as the four-seat for the varsity 8, a position that provides much of the boat’s power.

At the ACC Championship, the Varsity 8 finished in first, earning ACC Crew of the Year honors. A couple of weeks later at the NCAA finals, they placed eighth. Hutchinson also rowed as a stroke for the first Syracuse Varsity 8 to ever compete at the Henley Royal Regatta in England.

“She was rowing with some women who had rowed internationally at a pretty high level, and she was right in the mix with all of them,” said SU head coach Luke McGee. “It didn’t seem like the moment was too big for her in any way.”

At the end of the season, Hutchinson expected to hear her name called as part of the ACC Crew of the Year. But what came next was a surprise.

After the Varsity 8’s victory at the ACC Tournament, McGee nominated Hutchinson for the ACC Newcomer of the Year award. As the only freshman on Syracuse’s varsity 8 that finished in first place at the ACC Championship, she won.

“I didn’t even know that it was an award,” Hutchinson said. “I was so shocked because I wasn’t even expecting it.”

Yet even with all of Hutchinson’s accomplishments on the water, McGee and Frederico feel that Hutchinson’s biggest assets don’t show up in the stat sheet. She is part of the team’s leadership council, which is voted on by her teammates.

“(Hutchinson) came in as a freshman and was immediately put into a boat with all upperclassmen,” Frederico said. “She slotted in right away and brought a fresh perspective, one we hadn’t seen before.”

Beyond her early success at Syracuse, McGee said Hutchinson’s desire and mindset will help her get where she wants to be.

“(Hutchinson) really wants to take it to the next level to international rowing,” said McGee. “She wants to be a part of the Olympic games. She has that target in her mind that she’s willing to work for.”

Published on February 21, 2024 at 12:40 am

Contact Noah: njnussba@syr.edu