Liam Carey '23 of Hingham, Mass. continues to be a major contributor for the Division I, University of Wisconsin Men's Rowing team. Now a junior at Wisconsin, Carey offers a mature perspective to his time at Brewster and the commitment it takes to partake in high-level collegiate athletics: "Being successful in rowing also includes being successful with your academics, and as a leader. It's not just about rowing."

Carey enrolled at Brewster in his 11th grade year and immediately helped build the young Brewster Crew program into what it has become today in his two years on campus. A former captain of BA Crew, in the fall of 2022, Liam sat in the stroke seat of his Brewster boat at the Head of the Charles Regatta (the largest and one of the most prestigious head races in the world), competing in the Boys' Youth Fours event. His mixed double boat medaled (3rd place) at the Head of the Fish in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.  Later in the spring of 2023, his Boys' Varsity boat received a bid to the NEIRAS Championship, being ranked as a top 20 boys' boat in all of New England. Carey was also a student leader and tour guide on campus in his time as a Bobcat.

Just after his junior fall season concluded at Wisconsin, we had a meaningful check-in with Carey. His words about Brewster and high-stakes college athletics provide useful insight for any current student-athlete.

What are some of your best memories as a Brewster student-athlete?
Coach Varga-Wells always provided us with great opportunities for meaningful boat meetings prior to race day. We would do these with homemade smoothies made by Coach. Rowing was great, but these times outside of racing, where the team was all together bonding with one another, were the moments I remember most. Our spring training trip to Texas was also a special memory. Being in a different city—a warm city—and training hard together was a great experience. Now at Wisconsin, our team actually does a winter trip to the same area in Austin. It's great already having experience training in this region.

How did Brewster prepare you for what you're doing now in your sport?
The life I live as a student-athlete now, specifically my daily routine and schedule, was very much the life I lived as a Brewster student-athlete. I get up early, practice, go to classes, train some more, study, eat my meals, and I'm in bed by 10 p.m. This rhythm from Brewster is one of the best things I learned in developing a quality routine in college.

Also, at Brewster, I was at a smaller school and on a smaller crew team. This gave me the opportunity to be in a leadership position early on, and even when coming to a much bigger school and bigger team at Wisconsin, I had confidence in acting as a leader. I was still very nervous as a freshman, but I had some confidence to build from.



Who had an impact on you, in the classroom and on the water?
Coach "VDubbs" (Varga-Wells) had a big impact on my college rowing path in particular.  She told me that "if you want to do this [be a Division I rower], rowing has to set your soul on fire." Those were the exact words that she used. At the time, I remember thinking whatever. But now I realize those words are absolutely true. Wisconsin takes a lot of walk-on tryouts: Many of these rowers end up quitting or not making it through. Rowing doesn't set their soul on fire. I would say that five out of seven days of the week, you have to go to bed thinking This is great, and I absolutely love this.

My dorm parents at Brewster meant a lot to me as well. Mr. Connell in Chambo [Chamberlain] added perspective for me helping encourage me as a person. Ms. Yau was my advisor and coach, and she had also competed at a very high level as an athlete in her day. She understood my thought process and gave me perspective on being successful in rowing also includes being successful with your academics, and as a leader. It's not just about rowing.



What has been your greatest moment competing in college?
My freshman year I was in the Third Varsity Eight boat. On the first day of the IRA National Championships, our boat had the fastest time of all the Wisconsin Boats that day (meaning faster than the Second and First Varsity Eights from our school). The race was held on Mercer Lake in Princeton, N.J. We were big underdogs—definitely not the highest-ranked boat at the event. We had found some decent speed in the Conference Championships two weeks prior and thought, What do we have to lose? Let's go for it. We rated higher than other boats that day (meaning took more strokes per minute). We were down a lot at the start of the race and came back big time in the final 500 meters. We had a top four finish. I was sitting six-seat (a prominent spot for power in the boat). We had beaten some very notable crews that day: Georgetown, Navy, and Oregon State.

Would you consider that your greatest accomplishment since leaving Brewster?
This was definitely the biggest rowing highlight. But, I would also say just making the team every year is still my biggest accomplishment. You are never guaranteed a spot on the team. You need to try out again every season.

What advice would you give to current Brewster students? Or current members of the BA Crew Team?
Rowing in college is very different from high school. It's more intense. The training is way more technical and different overall. There are different points of emphasis. There is greater attention to detail. You have to love the hard days. You need to strive to be competitive. That's what will make you successful in rowing. Our coaches' take-away from that freshman year race at Wisconsin was that our boat just wanted it more. We were incredibly competitive and that attitude is necessary for any rower who wants to truly compete after high school in college.

Where are you at in your season right now this fall, and what is expected for you and the team heading into the spring racing season?
We just finished our fall season at the Princeton Regatta. And now we will head into our big erg [ergometer rowing machine] winter training period. We have a really strong freshman class with a lot of potential. This spring we are hoping for even better results. The team size is smaller: We have about 40 rowers as a roster limit. So there is less room for error. This requires athletes from all classes to step up. I'm really interested to see who steps up and how it shapes out for the team overall. I'd like to be in the top two or three varsity boats, and I think we can absolutely see better results this spring. Our team goal is to be ranked top 10 at the end of the season (the top 25 schools qualify for the IRA National Championships).

Carey finished with some insight into his overall Wisconsin experience, noting that the guys on the team are all really close to one another. He lives in a Crew House with five teammates. These are his best friends. Training each day on Lake Mendota at Wisconsin has some similarities to Carey's lake rowing days here on Winnipesaukee. He and his team are confident in big things this coming season with a strong young group of rowers, with their eyes on building to the IRA Championship Regatta to be held on Lake Natoma in Gold River, Calif. at the end of May 2026. Good luck to you and your team, Liam! Your Bobcat family will be watching and cheering you on from one lake to another.