Alex Stonehill of the Norwalk River Rowing Association signs a letter of intent to continue her rowing career at Duke University.

Photo Credit: Contributed

Alex Stonehill

Photo Credit: Contributed

NORWALK, Conn. – Alex Stonehill kicked and chased soccer balls for recreational teams until her freshman year in high school, when she turned to rowing. She was a natural on the water, and it made her realize soccer was not her sport.

“Once I started rowing, I thought I’m really not that good at soccer,’’ said Stonehill, a Brien McMahon senior who signed earlier this month to continue her rowing career at Duke University. “I’m better at applying myself with strength. I wasn’t very good because I was afraid of the ball when I played soccer. That never occurred to me until I took up rowing.”

Stonehill took up rowing with her best friend, Caroline Demko, at the Norwalk River Rowing Association in seventh grade. An uncle in Maine got her interested in the sport, and friends of her sister persuaded her to join a team. She quickly distinguished herself on the water and has been one of the top athletes for coach Yuri Kolomiets. She helped the club’s Youth 4+ reach the semifinals of the Northeast Championships in spring and reached the semifinals in the pair of the Canadian Henley Regatta in the summer with teammate Kylie O’Connor.

She has also been a big part of nonprofit Norwalk-based club off the water. She was one of the leaders of the club's Catch The Drive program, which teaches young Norwalk women from low-income areas the basics of rowing.

Norwalk River Rowing may not be as successful on the national stage as some other programs in the region, but under Kolomiets it is developing a stronger junior program. Stonehill’s scholarship to Duke proves its quality even among the region’s more high-profile clubs.

“It can be intimidating having some of these other clubs around,’’ Stonehill said. “There’s something about being at Norwalk that was different than other clubs. It was like a family. I could always count on my friends. I decided early on if I wanted to be successful, I could do that at Norwalk River Rowing. I didn’t need to be anywhere else. Rowing at Norwalk didn’t hold me back. It helped me grow.”

Stonehill also drew the interest of Harvard, Cornell and Dartmouth. She started the college process in January and made her official visits in the summer. Duke has several Connecticut women on its team, including Darien’s Alex Enzor, and Stonehill embraced the family atmosphere under coach Robyn Horner. “It was similar to my own team,’’ Stonehill said. “I loved the location. The team dynamic felt a lot like Norwalk.”

Although rowers have turned to dry-land training for the next few months, Stonehill is focused on her final few months of competing for Norwalk River Rowing. She has never made it to the U.S. Youth Nationals Regatta, and she’s hoping that changes. “I’d love to finish off my high school rowing with a trip to nationals,’’ Stonehill said. “We have the chance to do it.”