Connecticut Boat Club’s Captains are committed to rowing in their college years! Izzy Khamish (Staples High School), Iso McCoy (Brian McMahon High School) and Sophie Bell (Darien High School) are making big moves! As the girls get ready to embark on their next chapter of rowing, they will be joining three of the best rowing programs in the country. All three schools, Michigan University, University of Virginia and Princeton University are frequent homes for CBC alums. Connecticut Boat Club’s Head Coach, Liz Trond was sure to provide warm introductions to each captain and their respective school’s alums!
Iso McCoy originally was interested in pursuing her collegiate career in the city of Boston however, upon visiting Ann Arbor her mind and heart were convinced otherwise. “I loved the style of the University of Michigan campus, it was a true college town feel” McCoy expressed. Iso’s older brother (Leo McCoy) was instrumental in giving her advice, as he went through the process of selecting the best university for himself a few years ago. Leo advised his sister to not worry and that if it was meant to be, she would be accepted into Michigan University. Ken McCoy (Iso’s father) also played a key role in supporting Iso throughout her college selection process. Iso shared, “It was actually my dad who encouraged me at Nationals last year to attend the University of Michigan office hours. It was then when I met and instantly admired and wanted to be coached by the Michigan rowing staff. My dad loved our visit to the University of Michigan so much that who knows he might name a restaurant after them in the future!”
A lot of orange with an accent of blue, Sophie Bell will be continuing her rowing career at The University of Virginia! Joining a large rowing team can be a lot to take in but fortunately for Sophie she has a familiar face already on the UVA team. Bell was formally a ski racer and her then teammate (Isabella) also made the switch from skiing to rowing and is rowing for Virginia. Additionally, she found that during her official visit she had a lot of mutual friends with many of the girls on the team which made it feel comfortable and a place she could call home for Undergrad. As a dual citizen, Sophie always thought that she would follow in the footsteps of both of her older brothers by attend college in Canada. UVA’s gorgeous campus and wonderful community completely transformed the college image that Bell had in mind, she was determined to stay in America for her college years! Not to mention Coach Wes joining the coaching staff and them sharing the common trait of being Canadian rowers. “When I first met coach Wes I felt that we were very similar. I am incredibly interested in the mechanics of rowing (both the technique and the boats infrastructure) and I believe that he is as well. I am excited about how he goes about each practice and his mindset.”
One Khamish sister is thriving at Duke University and the next is…going to Princeton University! Izzy Khamish can officially shout that she is going to Princeton, her dream school. In speaking with her she shared that she is most looking forward to joining the Tiger mentality of, ‘training to win’. This mantra is contagious and embodied from the coaching staff to every athlete on the team. Princeton University captured Khamish’s attention before even setting foot on the campus based on solely their academic reputation, however the rowing team puzzle piece was critical to her choosing to Early Decision at Princeton. Izzy shared with excitement,“The coaching is unparalleled, then I had the chance to attend a practice and I really liked seeing how the girls carried themselves on and off the water.” Katherine Garrett and Kelsey Reelick are two alumni names that we hear often as their legacy at CBC continues to live on. Izzy referenced both Garrett and Reelick as they are Princeton University alums whom she looks up to. “Kat Garrett was also a captain at CBC (as Izzy currently is) and is currently a captain at Princeton which makes her someone that I look up to. I have heard endless amounts of stories about her being a CBC legend and carrying that on to her collegiate rowing years from our coach Liz Trond. Then there is Kelsey Reelick who was part of the CBC Class of 2010, was unstoppable at Princeton and then went on to race for Team USA at the Olympics in 2024. I feel that I have two resources and fellow alumni that I can lean on at anytime!” Khamish’s parents have been supportive from the very start but there was one key family member that read Izzy’s mind and provided first hand experience. Her older sister, Mia Khamish (CBC Class of 2022) went through the D1 college rowing recruitment process a few years ago herself and was able to relate and give the best advice to Izzy. Izzy feels so fortunate to have had the support from her sister sharing that, “I couldn’t have gotten better advice than the advice Mia gave me. She and I are both coxswains and she knows me so well so she knew what I was feeling. It was really incredible to have someone there that had been through the exact same thing!”
It is with a lot of excitement that we are cheering for the continued success of our captains as they wrap up their senior years of high school and prep to move to new states! We are certain that they will succeed in everything they set their mind and hearts to do.
Let’s Go Tigers! Let’s Go Blue! Let’s Go Hoos!
