Wescott makes a splash

Photo from the rescue

Never would you expect someone to go overboard, especially not in the biggest race of the year. Rowers are told to never leave their boats, but for Lehigh freshman rower Maddie Wescott, instinct took over during her senior year of high school at Mount Saint Joseph Academy.

During last May's SRAA National Championships, Wescott was rowing in her team's Second Varsity Eight. Her best friend Rachel was in the bow seat while Maddie was in the seventh seat, the opposite end of the boat.

"We probably shouldn't have raced that day. The conditions were really bad," said Wescott. "They cancelled all the races for the smaller boats (fours, singles, etc.). The water was so choppy and so windy. We were going into our sprint and Rachel caught a crab."

A crab is a rowing term when your oar gets stuck under the water because you don't take the blade of the oar out cleanly. It's just stuck and you are thrown backwards unless you take the blade out in time.

"It was really windy and we were exhausted, so she wasn't able to tap out and the oar dragged her into the water," said Wescott. "She was torn from the boat. I thought we'd hit a buoy. You're in race mode so you have no perception of what's going on around you. Your goal is to get to the finish line.

"I was ready to bite my coxswain's head off because I was thinking she should be on her A game today," Maddie continued. "Then I turn and my best friend is in the water. Instinct just kicked in."

Also an experienced lifeguard, Wescott didn't hesitate to jump in and help.

"The first thing I thought was to dive out and try to rescue her," said Maddie. "She was clearly panicked and she is not the strongest swimmer. She still says to this day that she was drowning. When you're exhausted and concussed - we hit her with two or three oars going full pressure - it's easy to become completely flustered and disoriented.

"Going from racing and being exhausted, you're being thrown into the water. It was freezing too."

"Rowers are taught to always stay with the boat even if the boat flips, but having a teammate and best friend be ejected out of the boat is a rare occurrence," said Lehigh head coach Brian Conley. "Maddie knew her friend was not a strong swimmer. I'm proud we have a person of action on our team. I think it says a lot about Maddie and her character that she trusted her training as a lifeguard and saved her best friend."

"I remember diving in and it took my breath away because it was so cold," said Wescott. "It happened so fast, I wasn't even thinking. I got to her the same time the launch (officials) got to her. No one in the launch is qualified or would have been able to save her, because they were older officials, older men who wouldn't have been jumping into the river to get her. Rachel said if she had gone unconscious, who knows what would have happened."

Wescott's example shows the value of always being prepared for anything.

"We always put the team through a safety class when they first arrive at the boathouse," said Conley. "Everything in rowing is designed as a floatation device from the hull, which will never truly sink, to the oars being a personal flotation device as well. It's something every rower and coxswain is taught."

Wescott's selfless actions prove her character and thinking of others before herself. That selflessness has shone through at Lehigh. On the water, Maddie has impressed early in her collegiate career. She has been a mainstay in the Women's Second Varsity Eight.

"Maddie has been brought great energy to the team," said Conley. "She rises to every occasion and is a true competitor. She holds herself to a high standard in all that she does. For example, we were doing a wall sit exercise for the first time early this fall and Maddie dropped out early. She apologized to her team for letting them down and the next time, she lasted more than double the amount of time."

Wescott is in the Engineering school and was recruited by the Mountain Hawks.

"I came here knowing I would row," said Maddie. "I really liked the Lehigh rowing program because it's building. It's really exciting. I think we're going to be really good the next few years. I came from a pretty competitive high school program, so not having rowing in my life was not really an option in college. Lehigh seemed like a good fit."

Wescott deals with the balance of a challenging major with a challenging sport.

"It's definitely stressful balancing classes," said Maddie. "It's a big time commitment; we have morning lifts and afternoon practice. There are definitely a lot of perks. It's really nice to have a team for anything, just for support in general. A lot of girls have gone through what I'm going through."

As a recruited rower, Wescott has helped a large contingent of walk-ons, many joining the team with no rowing experience.

"It sends me back to when I first started rowing, seeing things from a different perspective and being right next to people who are just learning how to erg or just learning how to hold an oar," said Wescott. "It's an awesome experience to be able to teach someone and see them become a real competitor on the team. In the beginning, it can be frustrating because you just want them to be good and you see how much potential they have. You just want them to learn as quickly as possible, but rowing is hard and there's a lot to it. It definitely takes patience."

That patience is paying off for Wescott and the Mountain Hawks. Lehigh rowing is enjoying success this year and has high aspirations for May's prestigious Dad Vail Regatta and Patriot League Championships. Most recently, Wescott helped lead Lehigh's Second Varsity Eight squad ahead of league rival Colgate to continue a season full of reaching new heights for the Mountain Hawks.

Whether rowing or saving a friend, Wescott has made her mark with all those around her.

"Maddie has helped make her teammates better and it's clear that she absolutely loves rowing and Lehigh which is the basis for success here at Lehigh and in life," said Conley. "I am excited about her future, both as a rower and when she graduates, but until then, I'm looking to Maddie and her teammates to make boats go fast."

Completed Event: Women's Rowing versus Patriot League Championships on May 15, 2026 , , 8th of 9

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

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

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