Nov. 27, 2012

LOS ANGELES - LMU Director of Rowing Vaclav Kacir announced Tuesday that Madison Hodgkins, Louisa Del Valle, Emily Harris and Karina Yalcin have all signed National Letters of Intent to continue their education and rowing careers with the Lions beginning in the fall of 2013.

"I am thrilled to announce the additions to our class of 2017," said Kacir. "These young ladies are coming to us from some of the nation's top rowing clubs and their experiences will be invaluable. They are leaders and hard workers who love to race and I can't wait to see what they bring to our team."

Hodgkins hails from Corona del Mar, Calif., where she attends Corona del Mar High School and rows in the Newport Aquatic Center club for Coach Marketa DeQuine. Hodgkins has been rowing since the eighth grade, while her most notable race to date was earning first place in the Varsity 8+ at the 2012 Head of the American in Sacramento.

Harris comes to LMU from Rossmoor, Calif., where she attends Los Alamitos High School. She began rowing in the fall of 2009 and currently competes for Head Coach Alfredo Montenegro and the Long Beach Junior Crew Club. Harris' most memorable race to date was paling 26th out of 85 boats in the Junior 8+ at the 2012 Head of the Charles Regatta.

"Madison will be joining NAC teammate Katie Courson and Emily is the first athlete to join us from Long Beach Jr Crew," Kacir said. "We are very excited about identifying and retaining this local talent. One of our goals is to sign the best rowers in the Southern California region, and Madison and Emily are helping us accomplish that goal."

Del Valle attends Seattle Preparatory School and currently competes for the Green Lake Crew and Head Coach Coby Stites. While she only began competing in 2009, Del Valle has numerous top finishes under her belt including placing fifth in the Varsity 8+ at the 2012 USRowing Youth National Championships; racing in the 2012 Henley Women's Regatta and Henley Royal Regatta; and placing third in the Youth 8+ at the 2212 Head of the Charles Regatta.

"Louisa is the second rower we have brought in from Green Lake, following in the footsteps of Hanna Osborne, our current team captain, who has brought a lot of experience and leadership to our program," said Kacir. "These two athletes from the Pacific Northwest are extremely mentally tough and will be vital to helping build the culture here at LMU."

Yalcin hails from Issaquah High School in Issaquah, Wash., where she rows for Coach Courtney Moeller in the Sammamish Rowing Association. A relative newcomer to the sport, having just picked it up in 2010, Yalcin notes her most memorable event so far in her career was racing at USRowing Nationals as a novice.

"Karina has been a staple in the varsity 8+ at Sammamish, will be joining former Sammamish rowers Paulina Lindstedt and Emma Wright," said Kacir. "We are very excited to build the recruiting contingency from the Seattle area, as it is a very strong region on the national scene."

-GO LIONS-