By Kylie DeHaven - Drake Athletic Communications Student Assistant

The 2016 Drake rowing team is brimming with leadership, thanks to the experiences of its six seniors: Ashley Beall, Emily Householter, Kelsey Leahy, Alex Lueck, Tristina Meister and Bri Varela.
 
Drake rowing head coach Charlie DiSilvestro shares the legacy each of his six seniors will leave behind.
 
Ashley Beall was named to the 2015 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Women's Rowing All-Academic Team and was a member of the varsity 4 boat that season, helping the boat to advance to the grand final at the MAAC Championship. But Beall's impact reaches much farther than just inside a boat with her teammates.
 
"Ashley brings a great sense of family to the team. She is inclusive of everyone and makes sure that nobody slips through the cracks. Ashley makes everyone feel like they have a voice and feel welcome. That will be her legacy, because we are still working on implementing her ideas."
 
Emily Householter was named to the 2015 MAAC Women's Rowing All-Academic Team. Householter is the only rower at Drake to have ever redshirted and rowed five years. This means she still had to get up at 5:15 every morning to train with her teammates knowing she would not be able to compete.
 
"Emily's legacy is sticking to the sport, because redshirting in rowing is not easy. For nine months she still had to get up and work hard knowing she could not race. That tells you a lot about her as a person, her love for the sport and her love for her teammates."
 
Kelsey Leahy was a member of the varsity 4 boat that advanced to the semifinals of the prestigious Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta. Leahy, who rowed in high school, is one of the few recruits that made it through all four years of rowing, which doesn't happen as often as one might think. Rowing is very difficult, and that means Leahy committed eight years of her life to getting up early and training.
 
"Kelsey has not only handled the demands of our sport, but she is one of our best rowers, if not the best rower year in and year out. Kelsey's legacy is showing future recruits that you can do it."
 
Alex Lueck was also named to the 2015 MAAC Women's Rowing All-Academic Team and was a member of the varsity 8 boat last season. Lueck will be remembered by her coaches and teammates as someone who always puts the team first.
 
"You don't sacrifice for athletics, you make choices for athletics, and Alex always chose athletics. She chose not to go do certain things and has put the team ahead of many things that others might not. Alex's legacy will be making those choices that you have to make if you're going to be a high-performing athlete in our sport."
 
Tristina Meister was a rower on the varsity 8 boat that took first on the final day of Lubber's Cup during the 2014-15 season.
 
 "Throughout her career, Meister wasn't always in the top boats. But she kept working hard and improved and rose to the top as a vocal leader. Tristina's legacy will be persistence and working hard to become a leader even though it wasn't her personality. It's hard to come out of your shell sometimes, and Tristina did a really great job of breaking out of hers."
 
Bri Varela was a member of the second varsity 8 boat that captured the Chris Schwartz Cup at the Mid-America Collegiate Rowing Association Championship last season. The boat was later named MAAC Boat of the Week for their performance. Varela was an accomplished gymnast in high school, and transitioned to rowing when she started at Drake. After struggling with an injury that kept her from performing the rower position, Varela made the selfless decision to switch positions to coxswain to serve her team in the best way she could.
 
"Bri has developed into a great coxswain. Every boat she gets into rows very comfortable, very strong and very loose, and that is her voice getting them there. Bri's legacy will be putting the team first even when dealing with adversity."
 
Drake rowing's six seniors will each leave behind their own unique legacy to the program when their respective careers finish at the conclusion of this spring season, and it will be up to their teammates to fill the holes they will leave.