With several former teammates on the roster, Central Catholic senior Michael Grady expects to fit right in on the Cornell University men's heavyweight rowing team next year.
Grady, 18, of Bradford Woods, has made a verbal commitment to join the Big Red next fall.
“Cornell was hands down the best decision for me,” said Grady, who also made visits to Brown, Harvard and Yale. “I felt at home at Cornell, and it will foster both my athletic and academic (careers).”
A two-time US Rowing Junior National Team member, Grady competed at the World Rowing Junior Championships the last two years.
At this summer's competition in Hamburg, Germany, he was seated seventh in a men's eight boat that placed third in the B final and 10th overall. In August 2013, he was in a four boat with coxswain that finished eighth in Trakai, Lithuania.
Competing for Central Catholic, he was third at the Scholastic Rowing Association of America National Championship Regatta and fourth at the USRowing Youth National Championships in men's eight last spring.
On the same boat, he helped the Vikings to their first national gold medal in rowing at the Scholastic Rowing Association of America championship in 2013.
At 6-feet-5, 190 pounds, Grady has many assets, Central Catholic coach Jay Hammond said.
“Mike is a tall guy with long arms and legs, which (give) him good leverage,” Hammond said. “He also has a good VO2 max (measure of the amount of oxygen a body can use during exercise) and decent power.
“He is coordinated and relaxed, which (allow) him to move the boat well. He is a good racer, too.”
Grady will join a Cornell squad that had a 4-3 record and finished seventh in the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges and eighth in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association last spring.
The Big Red were seventh overall in Men's Championship Fours and 33rd in Men's Championship Eights at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston this month.
Grady will be the fifth Central Catholic rower to compete for Cornell in as many seasons. Freshman Jake Wiedemer, sophomore Nic Jedema, junior Guthrie Renwick and senior Andy Volosky are on this year's team.
“(Wiedemer) and I were good friends (at Central Catholic),” Grady said. “Knowing he will be at Cornell, along with other Central alumni, made the decision that much easier.”
Grady plans to study biology and be an orthodontist like his father, who he followed into rowing.
“My dad was a big-time rower, starting at the age of 40,” said Michael Grady, who began rowing for Central Catholic in 2011. “He thought I had the potential to do something special, but didn't pressure me.
“After the first week, I loved (rowing and) dropped all other sports.”
The younger Grady is the second member of his family to excel as a high school athlete. His sister, Kylie, was a two-time WPIAL Class AAA champion in the 100-yard breaststroke as a member of the North Allegheny girls swimming team in 2009 and 2010.
Karen Kadilak is a freelance writer.
