As senior Dominick Richiuso focused on pumping his arms forward and backward in sync with his team at the 2019 US Rowing Youth National Championships in Sarasota, Florida, he knew that his performance would define the success of his career.

Richiuso, a competitive rower, committed to the D1 lightweight team at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) next fall. His achievements include placing in various countrywide competitions, such as the Charles competition in Cambridge and the San Diego Crew Classic race; he placed third in both. 

Richiuso enjoys rowing because of how his efforts can be directly reflected in his rowing ability. He has been rowing for four years since freshman year and has never once felt tired of it.

“Rowing is one of those sports that while natural ability is necessary, the more work you put in, the more you’ll get good results,” said Richiuso.

Richiuso’s most distinctive achievement is his third-place finish at the 2019 Youth National Championships in Sarasota, which he believes gave him an edge during the college recruiting process. The recruitment process is highly competitive and requires the student to be well-rounded in all their subjects.

“The colleges expect not only the best athletes in the country, but excellent grades and test scores as well,” Richiuso said.

In the end, after going through the recruitment processes from schools such as Cornell, Yale, Harvard, and Princeton, Richiuso settled on UPenn and was accepted for early decision. He believed that the academics offered at UPenn, especially for his intended major, business, were better than those at other Ivy League schools, and he preferred the UPennteam dynamic and coaches. Richiuso also found that the location of the school suited him better; for example, the weather at Cornell, a school he also considered, is significantly colder.

“I know rowing at UPenn will be challenging, but I think the challenge will only make me into a better rower,” Richiuso said.