28 // VARSITY May 15, 2014
JEFFERSON DAHL
MEN'S HOCKEY
SAMANTHA BRECHT
WOMEN'S LIGHTWEIGHT ROWING
A
member of Wisconsin's lightweight rowing
team, Samantha Brecht has spent her fair
share of time on and around the water. So it
may not come as a surprise to hear the Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, native will graduate this weekend with
a double major in English and zoology.
In fact, days and nights spent out by the water on
the Memorial Union Terrace with fellow student-
athletes and friends is one of the things Brecht said
she'll remember most about her time in Madison.
"I think summer nights on the terrace were a pret-
ty solid memory," she said. "There was one night in
particular where it was the whole rowing team and
a couple other friends. When you look out at the wa-
ter and the sailboats and everything, it's just such a
beautiful place."
The water is also where Brecht has made her mark
at Wisconsin. That includes a cherished trip to Lithu-
ania for the 2012 Under-23 World Championships,
where she represented the U.S. in the lightweight
women's quadruple sculls. After graduation, Brecht
plans to prolong her passion and try out over the
next two years for another spot on the U.S. nation-
al team. After that, Brecht sees herself returning to
graduate school for research with an aspiration to
work in conservation.
