A fair number of high school athletes go on to collegiate-level competition, but very few earn national recognition. Pelham’s Zach Heese is one of the few. From July 25 to 29, Heese will compete in the 2018 World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Poznan, Poland, as a member of the U.S. National Rowing Team.

Heese took first place July 8 in the U23 lightweight men’s single boat final at the U.S. National Team trials in West Windsor, N.J., securing his position on the national team. Heese rowed for the NYAC at the trials, as he has during the past three summers.

A graduate of Pelham Memorial High School in 2014, Heese started his rowing career with the Pelham Community Rowing Association (PCRA). During his time with the PCRA, Heese and his teammates placed in the grand finals of the U.S. Rowing Youth National Competition.

“PCRA was great because you had a wide spread of athletes, from people doing it as a social activity to people making junior national team—and being exposed to different levels of rowing even when I wasn’t huge in the sport,” Heese said.  The association “inspired me to work harder.” 

“Doing any sort of activity with a common goal with teammates is huge to developing who you are as a person,” he said. “The team aspect is hard to teach in the classroom, so it’s important to get out and do something like rowing.”

After high school, Heese went on to row for the University of Virginia. While there, his talent as a rower was enhanced, and he earned many achievements. Boats he rowed on won the Varsity 8 at the Head of the Charles in Boston and the Varsity Lightweight 4 at Dad Vails in Philadelphia. In June, Heese was named an All American First Team Rower by the American Collegiate Rowing Association.

“I’m most excited about traveling to Europe…and most nervous about my boat flipping, but hopefully that doesn’t happen,” said Heese.