"Went to the first practice, just kind of hopped out into a boat when I was a freshman, and then came back every day after that for the next four years."
Grand Haven native Audrey Boersen heard stories of her mom's rowing days at Grand Valley, but never thought she'd end up on the same team she was on.
"I really liked the idea that you can take that base and continue to build off of it," said Audrey.
A former cross country runner turned rower for the Lakers.
"So much more of it was the team aspect of how do you work together and try to anticipate what everyone else is doing so that you can move the boat faster. I think I really liked that part of it. It's a hard part of rowing but it's something you can always continue to learn from and grow off of," said Audrey.
"Audrey is a fantastic athlete and was a really great addition to our program. Not just as an athlete but also as a team member," said former Grand Valley Rowing Coach Dan Martin.
After she graduated in 2020, Audrey wanted to continue her rowing career and take things to the elite level.
"I had a really great experience both years while I was there, and then my 2018 coach sat me down at the end of the year and was like 'I think you could go really far in this,'" said Audrey.
She's bounced around a bit. Moving to Philadelphia, Sarasota Florida, and DC, where she ended up meeting three other women she rows with now.
"All four of us started training together in April and we trained in doubles and also in a quad," said Boersen.
Their lightweight quad boat competed at the senior trials in New Jersey. Winning their division and qualifying for the world championships in the Czech Republic in September.
"Just the chance to go down and race all of these incredible women from all over the world. It's insane that I get to be considered in a part of that group. And that all of these other women that I'm training with are," said Boersen.
It's been several years since Team USA placed or even had a gold medal finish in the lightweight quad. Audrey and her teammates plan to change that.
"You know it's going to be a battle but it's something that we can do and that we can come out on top," said Audrey.
