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Duke Rowing Recruit Spotlight: Mary Claire Morrison
3/15/2022 1:01:00 PM | Rowing
DURHAM – Head Coach Megan Cooke Carcagno and the Duke rowing program are excited to announce the addition of Mary Claire Morrison, who will compete for the Blue Devils in the 2022-23 season.
A native of Atlanta, Ga., Morrison currently attends Saint Pius X High School and competes for the Saint Andrew Rowing Club. Serving as a team captain during the 2021-22 season, she helped Saint Andrew finish second in the 8+ at the Music City Regatta and Head of the South this past fall, while taking second in the coxless pair at the Head of the South in Augusta, Ga. She was a member of the U.S. Rowing Olympic Development Program in the summer of 2021, helping the Southeast district place first overall in women's points for the ODP Cup. Morrison helped her 4x crew take first in a relay and was part of an 8+ boat that finished second against some of the country's top Olympic prospects.
Morrison has been an Academic Honor Roll member each semester of her high school career. She is the daughter of Bill Morrison and Beth Clark Morrison.
What is your favorite rowing memory?
MM: My favorite rowing memory is my 8+ boat winning by seven seconds at U.S. Rowing's Southeastern Championship Race in May 2021 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. It was the first 8+ Southeastern Championship for my club in its 40-year history, and it was a great way to honor our graduating seniors last year.
How did you get started in rowing?
MM: I started rowing my sophomore year in high school after happening upon Saint Andrew Rowing Club on its rowing recruitment day. I was curious about Atlanta having rowing teams, and so I walked into the event. As soon as the members placed me in the boat and handed me an oar that day, I was hooked! I love being on the water so much that I immediately stopped participating in all of the ball sports that I had played my entire life to fully devote myself to rowing.
Why did you choose to row for Duke?
MM: I chose to row for Duke for the truly unique and amazing opportunity to study and learn at one of the best academic institutions in the world, while competing for one of the strongest and most accomplished collegiate rowing programs in the country and with such wonderful teammates and coaches. Duke checks every possible box for any rower who is pursuing academic and athletic excellence and who wants to be on a team that feels more like an extended family. I am honored to attend and row for Duke, and I am so excited to get started!
What did you love about Duke and Durham when you visited?
MM: When I visited, I loved Duke's gorgeous campus, the friendliness of the students, faculty, and staff that I met, and the amazing facilities and services that the University offers, such as the weightlifting facility, the huge erg room with beautiful windows, the academic performance space, and the physical therapy area. I also love how Duke is a large university that somehow does not feel too big to navigate and that Durham seems like a fun town with great restaurants and that enjoys and supports the Duke community.
#GoDuke
A native of Atlanta, Ga., Morrison currently attends Saint Pius X High School and competes for the Saint Andrew Rowing Club. Serving as a team captain during the 2021-22 season, she helped Saint Andrew finish second in the 8+ at the Music City Regatta and Head of the South this past fall, while taking second in the coxless pair at the Head of the South in Augusta, Ga. She was a member of the U.S. Rowing Olympic Development Program in the summer of 2021, helping the Southeast district place first overall in women's points for the ODP Cup. Morrison helped her 4x crew take first in a relay and was part of an 8+ boat that finished second against some of the country's top Olympic prospects.
Morrison has been an Academic Honor Roll member each semester of her high school career. She is the daughter of Bill Morrison and Beth Clark Morrison.
What is your favorite rowing memory?
MM: My favorite rowing memory is my 8+ boat winning by seven seconds at U.S. Rowing's Southeastern Championship Race in May 2021 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. It was the first 8+ Southeastern Championship for my club in its 40-year history, and it was a great way to honor our graduating seniors last year.
How did you get started in rowing?
MM: I started rowing my sophomore year in high school after happening upon Saint Andrew Rowing Club on its rowing recruitment day. I was curious about Atlanta having rowing teams, and so I walked into the event. As soon as the members placed me in the boat and handed me an oar that day, I was hooked! I love being on the water so much that I immediately stopped participating in all of the ball sports that I had played my entire life to fully devote myself to rowing.
Why did you choose to row for Duke?
MM: I chose to row for Duke for the truly unique and amazing opportunity to study and learn at one of the best academic institutions in the world, while competing for one of the strongest and most accomplished collegiate rowing programs in the country and with such wonderful teammates and coaches. Duke checks every possible box for any rower who is pursuing academic and athletic excellence and who wants to be on a team that feels more like an extended family. I am honored to attend and row for Duke, and I am so excited to get started!
What did you love about Duke and Durham when you visited?
MM: When I visited, I loved Duke's gorgeous campus, the friendliness of the students, faculty, and staff that I met, and the amazing facilities and services that the University offers, such as the weightlifting facility, the huge erg room with beautiful windows, the academic performance space, and the physical therapy area. I also love how Duke is a large university that somehow does not feel too big to navigate and that Durham seems like a fun town with great restaurants and that enjoys and supports the Duke community.
#GoDuke
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