USD Magazine Summer 2006

[ d i f f e r e n t s t r o k e s ]

INTENSITY SQUARED Joan O’Hara has big plans for the women’s rowing team. “I like to move in steps,” she says. “The first would be to dominate the West Coast Conference, then to move on to a national level and be one of the top 20 in the country.” Those goals are high, but they’re fitting for a head coach who took over in August of 2004 and made such a quick difference that her efforts were rewarded with the WCC Coach of the Year title in 2005. She brought with her what she calls “a change in mindset” for the mostly walk-on rowers. “Our motto is, ’Practice like a champion,’” says O’Hara, who narrowly missed a slot in the 2000 Olympics. “The idea behind that is that you have to train with disci- pline and intensity in order to compete with dis- cipline and intensity. So the practice is really the most important part — the every day training.”

SEAN MATERSON

how they handle failure. Both Brian and Josh have done that against arguably the toughest schedule in the country.” The amateur draft comes again in June, but it seems a world away for the pair. “That really isn’t a part of our lives anymore.” Romanski reports. “We’re proud to be here and we’re working on getting our team to the next level.” That next level is the College World Series this June in Omaha, Neb. “Everyone on the team has it set in their heads that we’re going to Omaha this year,” Matusz adds. “There’s no doubt about it. We feel like we have the talent to do it and nothing is going to stop us.” Once their freshman season

ends, both are scheduled to play in the Cape Cod League, an elite summer league that counts nearly 200 current major leaguers as alumni. Hill also believes both have a shot at making America’s junior national team before breaking the bank when they are draft-eligible again in 2008. “I think a college education is worth millions over the course of your life,” Hill says. “But history shows us that bonuses escalate, and bonuses for college pitchers can escalate 10 times. So, if these guys continue to improve they can both be multi-millionaires. Multi-millionaires with college degrees.” And you can take that to the bank.

ERIC DROTTER

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SUMMER 2006