Trey Farley
tdf001@marietta.edu
Rowing is the oldest sport on the campus of Marietta College. Many rowers from Marietta have gone on to row at the international level, and senior oarsman Jack Gleim has added his name to the list of Pioneers to compete beyond the collegiate level.
Jack Gleim’s rowing career began at Mercer Boat Club in West Windsor, NJ while still in high school. After being recruited to row at MC by head coach Phil Schmehl, he has been on the varsity crew team here at Marietta all four years and has been a captain for the last two years. He has been a part of several successful crews in his time here, but most notably he was a member of the four man boat that placed second at the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta two years ago. Now he has added yet another incredible achievement to his rowing resume.
Gleim and his pair partner Kyle James, whom is from the University of Wisconsin, qualified for the U23 U.S. National Rowing team after winning the trials at Mercer Lake in West Windsor, NJ this past July after narrowly missing making the team last year. From there the pair went on to Rotterdam, Amsterdam in August to row at the World Rowing Championships against crews from all over the world. They advanced all the way to the grand finals of the event positioning them to medal on rowing’s grandest stage. After a competitive final that included crews from Switzerland, Germany, and China, the U.S. pair of Gleim and James fought hard for a sixth place finish in the world.
“I’ve always wanted to be a part of the U.S. national team and I realized after my freshman year of college that if I worked hard enough I could probably make the U23 team,” Gleim said.
After such a great start to his senior year and a potential national team career, Gleim is poised to further make his mark as an oarsman for the pioneers.
“I feel like I have gotten a lot faster over the summer and I think that the team this year looks very promising so I have pretty big hopes,” Gleim said.
Gleim and the Pioneer men’s crew team will begin their season at the Head of the Charles regatta in Boston, MA on Oct. 23.
