Emily Regan might be MSU’s most successful alumna athlete you’ve never heard of.
Regan has been silently compiling medals on the national and international stages, and is vying for a spot on US Rowing’s women’s eight olympic team. We caught up with Regan and asked her about her time as a Spartan and the title bestowed upon her as “MSU’s most decorated rower.”
The State News: How did you first get your start in rowing?
Every year MSU Rowing has a booth set up at AOP. I don’t remember it being there, but my mom apparently talked to the people running it. When we were driving home afterwards she started talking about the rowing team and how successful the program is. She thought this would be a perfect opportunity for me. I had no interest in doing a sport in college, so I didn’t really listen to her, but when I moved into my dorm I ended up trying out with my roommate. I’ve been rowing ever since.
SN: Was there a moment you can remember that sparked your love/interest in it?
The moment when I really fell in love with the sport was probably in my sophomore season. My freshman year the team struggled and we didn’t make the NCAA Championships regatta. We spent the entire next year with the goal of winning the Big Ten and making it back to the National Championships. Our first race my sophomore year we went to Princeton, NJ and raced traditionally strong programs Princeton and Brown. We beat Brown and were only point-three seconds behind Princeton. That’s definitely when I started believing in our team and learned to love racing and rowing.
SN: What does rowing mean to you?
Rowing is my life and for now, there isn’t time for anything else. I’m investing all of my time, emotions and energy into the sport. It’s helped me learn how to work a lot harder and has taught me how to be more driven and focused on one goal than. Before I began rowing I had a lot of different interests, but I didn’t put much effort into any of those things. Rowing has helped me realize what I love and that is athletics. I see myself committed to a career in athletics beyond my time as an athlete.
SN: What goals did you have for your career at MSU?
My goals as an athlete at MSU changed as I developed in the sport. It started with the goal of winning a Big Ten Championship and developed into the goal of winning the National Championship. We weren’t able to win the NCAA title while I was in school but we won two Big Ten team titles and my boat won three event titles at the Big Ten Championships.
SN: Your bio on usrowing.org mentioned that head coach Matt Weise had a large impact on your career. Can you talk about what he did for you to help your career?
He taught me a lot about the sport and developed me to a point where I was able to be invited to the national team training center. He also encouraged me to aspire towards the national team and then when I was invited, he helped me decide if that was the path I wanted to take with my life after college. Matt is still incredibly supportive as is everyone within the Athletic Department at MSU. I’m really lucky to have all the support from the university that I have.
SN: MSU considers you the most decorated rower in program history. What does that mean to you?
It’s pretty special. I hope that my success will encourage another girl from the team to work a little harder and maybe shoot for a national team career after MSU.
SN: Looking back on your Spartan rowing career, what did you enjoy most about it? What was it that made it worthwhile?
The best thing about being on the rowing team is the people involved with it. My teammates made the experience so much better. The workload that we went through together created a really special bond and the girls that I competed with at MSU are still my best friends.
Looking back on your time at MSU, from a school standpoint, what memories stand out to you the most? What made this special to you?
The people in the School of Hospitality Business are wonderful. They were always supportive of me and helped me manage and balance my rowing and potential national team opportunities with my internships and other class commitments.
What is it like to row for US Rowing? How does it feel to row for your country, and to have so much success while representing your country?
Rowing for the national team has helped me develop further as an athlete. In college everything was for the team and you strive to be your best for the team. Competing for the national team adds another level of competitiveness. You’re still a team, but there are not enough seats for everyone to make the Olympic or World Championship team every year. As a result I’ve learned to be a lot more self sufficient and I’ve learned to push myself much further without as much help of other people. Beyond that I’ve had the unique opportunity of having the national anthem played for my teammates and I because we have won the World Championship. As a result the national anthem has become much more special to me and I now get chills every time I hear it. I’m so lucky to have had the opportunity to represent my country on the world stage.
Can you talk a little bit about the Olympics? How are you preparing for a chance to make the team? What would it mean to you to row in the Olympics?
I train in Princeton, NJ with the majority of the women who are aiming to make the Olympic team next summer. We train two-three times a day and six or seven days a week. It would mean everything for me to make the team. I have wanted to compete in the Olympics since I was eight and I have been working towards that goal as a rower for the last 10 years. For rowers, the Olympics is the greatest stage that we will ever get to compete on.
What goals and aspirations do you have for your career going forward? What about after rowing as well?
My number one goal is to make the Olympic team next summer and hopefully win a medal. I’ll probably wait to decide what else I want from the sport after the Olympics. Professionally I would like to work in athletics. I haven’t quite decided if I would prefer administration or athletics, but I do know that I want to make a difference for female athletes. I’d like to help continue to grow women’s athletics and help create more equal opportunities to men.
