University of Chicago Crew Club

Our Leaders

The 2023 Executive Board

We have been proudly student run since our inception in 1976. Our members volunteer their time and efforts to more than just practices and regattas. The following elected officials handle all of the organization required to field a competitive team.

 

President

Raphael Stone

The president is the leader of the board. Everyone’s boss, the president is the key cog that keeps the team functioning.

Raphael is a third year on the team known for “truly putting in those 20 hour days.” He is studying Molecular Engineering with a specialty in Sustainable Energy and Water Resources. Aside from crew, Raphael is a cellist for the University Symphony Orchestra and is an independent researcher of electrochemistry and material science for Prof. Chong Liu’s lab.

It’s his second year on the board and on the team. Raphael got his start rowing in high school at the Texas Rowing Center!

Captains

Sofia Hrycyszyn and Alexander Urquhart

Our captains are the spiritual leaders of the team. On any given day, you’ll find Sofia and Alex welcoming novices to the boathouse, encouraging their teammates during pieces, and getting up early to drive the team vans for transportation. They establish a close-knit team culture on and off the water, and they make sure each athlete brings their A-game to every practice.

Sofia Hrycyszyn is a second year majoring in Economics while on the pre-med track. She started rowing junior year of high school along the Charles River, so she loves a sharp turn or a congested area. Coxing Master’s Women in high school, she’s used to early morning wakeups and lives to see the sunrise on the river. Sofia always brings a positive attitude to practice; she’s quick to smile and you can often hear her laugh echoing through her mic and over the water. This is her second year on varsity and she has previously served as team Fundraising Chair. In her free time, Sofia likes to listen to live music, and you can catch her taking photos for the Chicago Maroon at random concerts any night of the week.

Alex Urquhart is a third year double-majoring in Economics and Classics. He started rowing at Exeter his freshman year, and learned how to scull at Litchfield Hills Rowing Club over his summers. He stroked the M2- to a national bronze medal at ACRA last year and has served as the team’s Treasurer. Alex is the team’s biggest motivator: he leads all-team breakdowns to end every practice, and at a regatta you’ll hear him hyping up his teammates from a mile away. Alex is also a devoted cook, and helps run The Crescent, a fine-dining restaurant that offers weekly tasting menus to UChicago students.

Internal Vice President

Aidan Parker

The IVP is the master of logistics. Organizing transportation to and from practices daily, they are the only reason the team is able to get anywhere. They are Incredibly Valuable People on UChicago Crew!

Aidan is a second year from New York City majoring in Computer Science and Data Science. It’s his first year on the team, and he learned how to row here in Chicago on our very own Bubbly Creek.

External Vice President

Cellestine Harig

The EVP makes sure the rowers only have to worry about their race at regattas by managing transport, logistics, and housing for the team at races.

Celle is a first year from Deerfield, IL studying math and economics. She started rowing her junior year of high school and has experience as both a rower and a coxswain. Outside of crew, Celle is a harpist for the University Symphony Orchestra and is involved in the Institute of Politics and Center for Decision Research on campus.

Treasurer

Polly Ren

The treasurer is the master of the team’s wallet, nothing goes in or comes out without going through them.

Polly is a second year on the team in her second year of the sport.

Fundraising Chair

Anna Murchie 

Keeping the team (financially) afloat, is a busy job. The fundraising chair is responsible for the organization all fundraising activities.

Anna is a second year on the team and hails from Pennsylvania! She studies Economics. 

Equipment Manager

Liz Ugan

Rowing requires a lot of stuff. Oars, boats, launches, launch kits, the list goes on. Keeping it all in top shape and keeping track of it all is the purview of the equipment manager.

Liz is a third year on the team, in her second year on Varsity.

Parent Alumni Liaison

Josie Barboriak

UChicago Crew has existed for a long time, and has amassed hundreds of alumni and parents in our community. The PAL maintains those bonds and keeps our extended family connected.

Josie Barboriak is a first year from Durham, NC, and this is her first time rowing! She wants to major in some combination of Public Policy, Creative Writing, and Law, Letters, and Society. She is passionate about gun violence prevention policy, writing poetry and blog posts, and deeply analyzing TV shows and books and music. She loves the water almost as much as Steve, her Portuguese water dog, does, and is excited to participate in this year’s crew executive board!

Social Media Chair

Arlie Jackson

There is no point winning all of these races if we can’t brag about it, right? The social media chair makes sure everyone stays up to date on what is going on with UChicago Crew.

Arlie is a second year from San Francisco, majoring in Computer Science. She learned to row on the team in her first year at UChicago. 

 

Secretary

Anna Bonnem

With all of our events going on, someone has to be keeping track of it all. That job falls to the secretary.

Anna is a first year on the team from New York studying Math. This is her fifth year rowing!

Have a question for us?

We are happy to answer your questions and guide you who to contact for any issue you may have.