A deep desire to help

By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications

A deep desire to help is at the core of Elise Fredericks, the rower and person.

"I feel like I have this deep-seeded desire to help others," she said. "Helping is self-rewarding, of course, but it's more than that. I focus less on how good it feels to me and more on expanding my reach any way I can."

That desire to help has always been prevalent, but has only been reinforced since Fredericks joined the Lehigh rowing team.

Fredericks' journey to becoming a Division I college rower was far from conventional. Growing up, she competed in individual sports, such as swimming and track and field.

"I had a lot of friends who I swam with, who actually started rowing," she said. "They said it was a great transition because all the muscles you use for swimming, especially in your shoulders, you use in rowing as well. It's a way to still be involved with the water, but not be in the water."

From Plaistow, New Hampshire, a tour at Lehigh - given by former women's soccer standout Ashley Blanks - helped open Elise's eyes to Lehigh.

"Lehigh was the last tour I did with my dad the summer before my senior year of high school," she said. "I didn't really know much about Lehigh, except that it had a reputable business program. The minute we drove on campus, I knew this was where I had to be.

"My dad said, you don't really know much about it yet. I just looked at him and said I have a really good feeling."

Perspective from Blanks helped Fredericks understand that Lehigh was the place for her.

"Ashley spoke so eloquently about her school," said Elise. "She said that athletics was part of what made her experience so wonderful. It was nice to talk to her when I was visiting, to understand what life as a Lehigh student-athlete was like."

Fredericks didn't talk to the rowing coaching staff before coming to Lehigh. She chose Lehigh for its academics first and foremost, but in the back of her mind, was determined to try out, and earn a spot on, the rowing team.

"I looked for every opportunity once I got on campus to reach out to the team," said Fredericks. "I saw a flyer at the gym, so I went to the information meeting. From there, I just went full force."

One of Fredericks' first realizations was that as a member of the rowing team, she would be forced to truly appreciate, and embrace, putting others' needs before her own.

"Rowing teaches you how to be a team player," she said. "It wasn't an easy lesson to learn, I'll be completely honest. There were times when I couldn't get over the fact that my actions had an impact on other people. I didn't really grasp the concept of this team atmosphere where everything you do, you do together."

"If one rower decides not to listen to the coxswain or tries to move the boat on his or her own, it slows everything down," said Lehigh head coach Brian Conley. "We practice being on the same page all the time. You have to put your goals and desires in the hands of your teammates. You have to be vulnerable and a rock at the same time."

Everything, eventually clicked for Fredericks.

"One day, I realized, this is my life now," she said. "My life is my teammates; everything I do affects them and I want to be a better person for them. That's when I knew the person I was becoming, and it's all because of rowing."
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"Rowing truly is about trusting your teammates and your teammates trusting you to become the best version of yourself," said Conley. "Elise embodies these messages each day."

Fredericks has realized, understood and embraced her true self, in all areas of life. While at Lehigh, she has volunteered as a Big Sister through Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lehigh Valley.

"Being a Big Sister was my effort to not only reach out to the community, but to also put someone else's interests at the forefront," said Fredericks. "Once a week, you go to the middle school and mentor someone who you're matched with based on similar personality characteristics, so you can learn from her just as much as she learns from you. The children in this program use it as an outlet to talk about their emotions, when they may not be able to talk about how they're feeling or what they're going through with anyone else."

Fredericks' influence also includes serving as a Lehigh tour guide, due in large part to the impact of her tour when deciding to attend Lehigh.

"I wanted to have that same impact on other students," she said. "I love my school and I love having the opportunity to talk about it once a week to open ears who are willing to listen."

Competing on the rowing team has given Fredericks confidence to pursue so many opportunities.

"I'm willing to try more than I ever have," she said. "The most important lesson I've learned is that the best things in life are the hardest. I've failed time and time again, and those pieces of my life where I've failed are where I've learned the most."

Rowing is a sport that includes plenty of failure, but it's all about how you as an individual, and as a team, respond.

"I had never used my whole body in a workout in the way that rowing requires," said Fredericks.

Fredericks has come a long way, and has played an integral role in the Mountain Hawks' transformation as a program. The program is focused on starting at the core and developing strong habits.

"Our transformation is something I really love talking and bragging about," said Fredericks. "I like telling people that I'm one of the pieces who's helped shape the culture into what it ultimately is, and will continue to become."

Fredericks has used her rowing experience to branch off in so many different ways, and ultimately become a better person because of it.

A double major in supply chain management and marketing, the junior doesn't know exactly what she'd like to do after graduation. However, an internship experience with Life is Good opened her eyes to the type of company she'd like to work for.

"I learned that I need to be in a work environment where people truly believe in the mission of the company," she said. "Everyone, myself included, loved the values that Life is Good promotes. They whole-heartedly believe in what they're selling, which is spreading the power of optimism. I could see that happening in small ways in the workplace, which was really important to me because I don't want to be in a setting where people don't care for what they're doing."

While Fredericks still has some time to figure things out post-graduation, she is cultivating that same type of environment within her Lehigh rowing teammates.

"Whether we have meetings with the nutritionist or meetings with (Director of Student-Athlete Academic Services) Katie Guynn, everything is done to take our values and find resources that can help us," said Fredericks. "As a team, we talk a lot about values and goals, and we're well on our way to achieving them."

Fredericks has shown tremendous individual growth over her career, and that growth has helped raise the bar for those around her.

"Elise is the transformation of our team," said Conley. "She was afraid to fail and afraid to see what she physically could do her freshmen year. Coach Kaitlyn Dennington worked with her a great deal her freshmen and sophomore years. It was during spring break her sophomore year when I saw a big jump that pushed our culture and increased our desire to compete. She made the Varsity Eight for the first half of the season, but got nudged out a few weeks out from Patriot League Championships.

"This year, Elise made the Varsity Eight right away," Conley continued. "As the season started to wind down, a freshman stepped up competitively, and it was literally the same scenario over again. This year, Elise rose to the occasion. It was inspiring to me as her coach to have seen her growth in that moment and it's something I'd want for all my student-athletes. She is an inspiration for many on this team and I can't wait to see what else she accomplishes and achieves."

The Mountain Hawks have the right people on board, who believe in what the program is about. They're rowing for their teammates and putting others' needs in front of their own.

"We're not afraid anymore," said Fredericks. "We have to overcome a lot of mental barriers and we're willing to push to see what we can reach.

"Because we've been willing to push ourselves to the limit, we've seen success physically," she continued. "We're beating teams we've historically lost to, we're finding that new level of fitness, we're mentally tougher than we've ever been and I'd like to think we're emotionally tougher, too. We've created a very deep bond within all the members of the team, which is so important and critical to the culture."

Fredericks has embraced not only competing in a sport, but also becoming engrained into the deeper meaning of her sport. Because of that, she has truly learned, and understood, her true self.

"I always tried to make an effort to help others in every way that I could, but rowing drove that point home," said Fredericks. "I had never learned how to do it; I was just going through the motions. Being on this team, you have no choice but to learn it. As soon as I learned that lesson, I whole-heartedly applied it to all facets of my life.

"I've always held it within me, but I just needed something to help me find it. That something was rowing."

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Upcoming Event: Women's Rowing at Lake Wheeler Invite on April 24, 2026

Upcoming Event: Women's Rowing at Colgate on May 2, 2026

Upcoming Event: Women's Rowing versus Patriot League Championships on May 15, 2026

Completed Event: Women's Rowing at Knecht Cup on April 11, 2026 ,

Completed Event: Women's Rowing at Drexel and George Washington on April 4, 2026 ,

Completed Event: Women's Rowing versus Mountain Hawk Invite on March 28, 2026 ,

Completed Event: Women's Rowing versus Class Day Regatta on November 1, 2025 ,

Completed Event: Women's Rowing at Head of the Schuylkill on October 25, 2025 ,

Completed Event: Women's Rowing at Head of the Charles on October 18, 2025 ,

Completed Event: Women's Rowing at Head of the Housatonic on October 11, 2025 ,

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