As sunlight glimmers upon the smooth surface of the deep, blue water, Eugenia Rodriguez-Vazquez ’22 uses every last bit of her strength to keep rowing, using swing and connection with her teammates to propel the boat towards the finish line.

Rodriguez-Vazquez first started rowing in freshman year, a couple months after she moved to Princeton from Spain. She always wanted to be an elite athlete, so when her brother began rowing for the Princeton National Rowing Association at Mercer Lake, a perfect opportunity presented itself.

Since trying rowing, she’s rowed for the Spanish National Team, competed in the Head of the Charles Regatta, and has been recruited to Brown University.

“Eugenia is a great asset to the team; she's one of the strongest women in Mercer County,” said Taylor Jones ’24, a fellow Mercer rower.

It hasn’t always been smooth sailing, as rowing is one of the most difficult sports. Losing is an integral part of any sport, especially rowing, so continuing to have a healthy mindset after a loss is imperative in being a great athlete. This is something Eugenia has come to learn over the years. An essential part of being a student-athlete is also time management. Rodriguez-Vazquez lives by the belief that one has to have a set routine.

“It’s definitely hard and it takes a couple of years to get down to it, but having a set routine is very important. And like there’s obviously small sacrifices, like a lot of free time activities that you just can’t fit in, but yeah, I would say lots of sleep. I’m still figuring it out,” Rodriguez-Vazquez said.

A large part is making sure she has the best chance of winning is race preparation, which requires mental readiness. Rodriguez-Vazquez’s routine to ensure she is mentally focused involves eating sushi, meditating with a crystal, and discussing race plans with teammates the night before a race. Most significantly, she gets between eight and a half to nine hours of sleep ahead of a race without fail. Rodriguez-Vazquez is also a clear leader on the Mercer team.

In addition to being one of the best rowers in the state, her knowledge and experience gained from both her seniority and work ethic gives her a clear advantage as a leader. Eugenia is a welcoming and motivating teammate.

“She’s very kind … and is friends with the whole team,” Jones said.

Rodriguez-Vazquez feels that the biggest accomplishment, even more than race results, is a team’s culture. She believes that she’s helped foster a winning culture in the Mercer team, which she thinks is a better indicator of success as a club.

Committed to Brown University for Division I rowing, Rodriguez-Vazquez’s biggest goal is to win a college-level crew race. As a freshman, she hopes to make it into the top two boats. In the far future, she hopes to make the U.S. National team and row as an adult.

“If they don’t put me [in the top two boats], that’s how it goes… but the goal is just to get through four years of college,” Rodriguez-Vazquez said.

Rodriguez-Vazquez emphasizes that rowing is a sport that is both grueling and rewarding. Through hardwork and dedication, she believes anyone can become a top athlete.

“No matter how [bad] you are at first, there’s always a way up. There’s always something you can be doing,” Rodriguez-Vazquez said.