Brewster Academy Athletics

New to the sport of rowing upon entering Brewster Academy, Chris Carlson first joined BA Crew in the fall season only (as an underclassmen) after some convincing by Coach Nick Docter. He soon joined the program fully in both the fall and spring seasons, and became an impact member of the team—earning the attention of many college rowing coaches. Initially attending Marist College after graduating from Brewster, Carlson was a regular in the Varsity 8+ in his first two years, and rowed in the team’s IRA finalist Varsity 4+ boat. He transferred to rowing powerhouse University of Washington, where in his junior and senior years he was named Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year, won multiple medals rowing in the Varsity 8+ at IRAs, won the Pac-12 Championship, and defeated other elite Division 1 crew programs including Dartmouth, Cornell, California, Northeastern, Stanford, and Oregon State. As a senior in 2019, Carlson earned All Pac-12 and All-Academic Pac-12 honors. Internationally, while in college and since graduating, he has been a member of six USA National Teams (the under 23 team from 2017 to 2019; and the senior national team from 2022 to the time of this award in 2024). His professional accomplishments include finishing sixth in the eight at the 2023 World Rowing Championships, finishing fourth in the eight at the 2022 World Rowing Championships, reaching the semifinals in the The Grand Challenge Cup in the eight at the 2022 Henley Royal Regatta, and winning gold in the eight at the 2018 World Rowing Under 23 Championships. Carlson continues to pursue his professional and international rowing career and is hopeful to be an Olympic athlete as a member of Team USA.