Completed Event: Rowing at Head of the Charles on October 17, 2025 , , NTS
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Final
Rowing
at Head of the Charles
Duke Rowing Recruit Spotlight: Florine Lijesen
6/20/2023 6:51:00 PM | Rowing
DURHAM - Duke rowing will welcome another standout recruiting class to the mix for the 2023-2024 campaign as head coach Megan Cooke Carcagno announced the signing of incoming freshman Florine Lijesen on Tuesday.
"Florine has had tremendous growth in her small boat skills this past year which has earned her multiple championship medals this spring. She continues to challenge herself this summer as she will compete with Ready Set Row at the USRowing Summer National Championships. We can't wait to get her on campus" -Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Director Chase Graham.
Lijesen recently graduated from Ransom Everglades School in Coconut Grove, Fla., where she competed for her school's varsity crew team. The Miami, Fla. native competed as a key part of the Varsity 4+ lineup that earned a strong third-place finish at the 2021 Midwest Youth Championship and a 10th-place finish at the Head of the Charles Regatta in 2022. Lijesen and her teammate, Kathryn Serra, also earned a gold medal at the 2023 Florida Scholastic Rowing Association Sculling Championships in Sarasota, Fla. The pair stroked their way to a first-place time of 5:37.000 in the Girl's Varsity 2+ race, nearly five seconds ahead of the second-place boat.
During the summer, GoDuke.com will be spotlighting each of the 17 newcomers.
GoDuke.com: Why did you choose Duke?
Florine Lijesen: I chose Duke because of the combination of strong academics and a great rowing team that will push me to excel in both areas of my life. Duke has an amazing support system and resources for student-athletes which I find very important and will allow me to succeed. Being surrounded by such a supportive team will motivate me to be my best self and perform well both in class and on the water.
Â
GD: How did you get started in rowing?
FL: The sport of rowing has been in my family for a long time. Both of my parents met rowing in college and my older sister, Emilie, rows. Going to my sister's regattas, I began to learn about the sport of rowing. After tearing my ACL playing soccer, I decided to stop playing and give rowing a try. As soon as I started rowing, I fell in love with being on the water and knew this was something I wanted to continue doing.
Â
GD: What has been your favorite rowing memory?
FL: My favorite rowing memory has to be the Head of the Charles Regatta this past fall. My boat came from a small scholastic team and we started near the back with a high bow
number. When we rowed up to the start, we were all super excited to be able to row on the Charles River, which is much different than our water in Miami. As soon as we crossed
the start line, we were all rowing with smiles on our faces. After a couple hundred meters, we passed our first boat and it made me so excited because I wasn't even sure if we were
going to pass one boat. Then eventually we passed another one and another one and it was so much fun to see that the hard work we had put in for this race was paying off.
When we crossed the finish line the first thing someone in my boat said was "that was so fun!" That line has summed up rowing for me, fun!
Â
GD: What stuck out to you about the team in your decision-making process that made the decision feel right?
FL: All of the members on the team are super supportive and create a fun and inclusive environment. The team is able to crack jokes and have fun while also valuing hard work,
which was shown by their commitment and hard work to each other. During my visit, many people on the team made sure I was having a good time and really made me feel like I belonged at Duke and on the team.
Â
GD: What impact do you plan to make in your first year?
FL: During my first year, I hope to build strong connections with my teammates and show my commitment to the team. I aim to show I am a reliable teammate and friend that's willing to put in the work so this team can work hard and play hard. I also hope to develop my stroke through leaning into the training process.
Â
Quick Facts
Position in the boat: Port and Scull
Hobbies: Skiing, traveling, reading, shopping, trying new restaurants, going on runs, and
going to the beach.
Favorite athlete: Lieke Martens
Best advice you've received: "Hard work is the only thing that will get you to where
you wanna go"
To stay up to date with Blue Devils rowing, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeROW".
#GoDuke
Â
"Florine has had tremendous growth in her small boat skills this past year which has earned her multiple championship medals this spring. She continues to challenge herself this summer as she will compete with Ready Set Row at the USRowing Summer National Championships. We can't wait to get her on campus" -Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Director Chase Graham.
Lijesen recently graduated from Ransom Everglades School in Coconut Grove, Fla., where she competed for her school's varsity crew team. The Miami, Fla. native competed as a key part of the Varsity 4+ lineup that earned a strong third-place finish at the 2021 Midwest Youth Championship and a 10th-place finish at the Head of the Charles Regatta in 2022. Lijesen and her teammate, Kathryn Serra, also earned a gold medal at the 2023 Florida Scholastic Rowing Association Sculling Championships in Sarasota, Fla. The pair stroked their way to a first-place time of 5:37.000 in the Girl's Varsity 2+ race, nearly five seconds ahead of the second-place boat.
During the summer, GoDuke.com will be spotlighting each of the 17 newcomers.
GoDuke.com: Why did you choose Duke?
Florine Lijesen: I chose Duke because of the combination of strong academics and a great rowing team that will push me to excel in both areas of my life. Duke has an amazing support system and resources for student-athletes which I find very important and will allow me to succeed. Being surrounded by such a supportive team will motivate me to be my best self and perform well both in class and on the water.
Â
GD: How did you get started in rowing?
FL: The sport of rowing has been in my family for a long time. Both of my parents met rowing in college and my older sister, Emilie, rows. Going to my sister's regattas, I began to learn about the sport of rowing. After tearing my ACL playing soccer, I decided to stop playing and give rowing a try. As soon as I started rowing, I fell in love with being on the water and knew this was something I wanted to continue doing.
Â
GD: What has been your favorite rowing memory?
FL: My favorite rowing memory has to be the Head of the Charles Regatta this past fall. My boat came from a small scholastic team and we started near the back with a high bow
number. When we rowed up to the start, we were all super excited to be able to row on the Charles River, which is much different than our water in Miami. As soon as we crossed
the start line, we were all rowing with smiles on our faces. After a couple hundred meters, we passed our first boat and it made me so excited because I wasn't even sure if we were
going to pass one boat. Then eventually we passed another one and another one and it was so much fun to see that the hard work we had put in for this race was paying off.
When we crossed the finish line the first thing someone in my boat said was "that was so fun!" That line has summed up rowing for me, fun!
Â
GD: What stuck out to you about the team in your decision-making process that made the decision feel right?
FL: All of the members on the team are super supportive and create a fun and inclusive environment. The team is able to crack jokes and have fun while also valuing hard work,
which was shown by their commitment and hard work to each other. During my visit, many people on the team made sure I was having a good time and really made me feel like I belonged at Duke and on the team.
Â
GD: What impact do you plan to make in your first year?
FL: During my first year, I hope to build strong connections with my teammates and show my commitment to the team. I aim to show I am a reliable teammate and friend that's willing to put in the work so this team can work hard and play hard. I also hope to develop my stroke through leaning into the training process.
Â
Quick Facts
Position in the boat: Port and Scull
Hobbies: Skiing, traveling, reading, shopping, trying new restaurants, going on runs, and
going to the beach.
Favorite athlete: Lieke Martens
Best advice you've received: "Hard work is the only thing that will get you to where
you wanna go"
To stay up to date with Blue Devils rowing, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeROW".
#GoDuke
Â
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