Last year, Newell was in the first varsity boat again. This time the eight went 10-0 in dual racing action but again came up short of its goal, finishing second at Sprints and third at IRAs.
“Well, it’s tricky, because you can’t medal four times out of four races in three years and say you’re disappointed,” Newell explains. “That’s not fair to everyone else out there who didn’t medal. But at the same time, everyone was disappointed.”
Now the captain of the lightweight squad, Newell is drawing on his summer experience stroking the U.S. Under-23 lightweight men’s four. The senior’s boat, which included junior teammate Austin Meyer, took bronze at the 2010 World Rowing Under-23 Championships, further fueling the Crimson’s desire for gold this year.
“Racing over the summer, the difference was just that you take the dedication you put into it day to day up to a different level,” Newell says. “You learn how to increase your focus level, increase your game, increase your capacity for training. Those are all sorts of things that I’ve gotten better at over the past summer and that I want to bring to the team so that when we’re on the water, we’re capable of working harder and working smarter. And hopefully that will give us the edge we need.”
Newell is in the stroke seat again this weekend for the Head of the Charles as a member of the varsity eight for the third consecutive season. The team and Newell have high hopes for what they can achieve this weekend and this year. Before Newell graduates and potentially makes his next move onto the senior national team, he has a few goals yet to achieve—starting with a win this weekend.
“Will has always had a knack for rowing, and he’s built his mileage up considerably rowing in eights and small boats at Harvard,” Butt says. “I like to see the guys pursue the opportunities and just see how far they can go. And he’s done that, so I’m very happy with the way he’s made the best use of his opportunities here.”
—Staff writer Jessica L. Flakne can be reached at jflakne@fas.harvard.edu.