Ready for Launch
Glenn was initially drawn to the solitary freedom of single sculling. “You can go wherever you want, do what you want and everything is on you,” she says. But when she arrived at Bucknell, she found synergy with varsity eight, an eight-person boat.
“I really, really love the eight,” she says. “It’s such a cool feeling when you have all eight people rowing in perfect sync. It’s the epitome of a team sport because every person has to be on the same exact page.”
The computer science & engineering and applied mathematics double-major also appreciates her sport’s connection to her academic pursuits.
“Rowing is a very scientific and calculated sport,” she says. “When we’re in the boat, I’ll think about how to move the boat faster. If I get my blade a certain height off the water or if I adjust the angle of my oar, will that help us move through the water more efficiently?”
Once those calculations are made, instinct takes over, which is when something special happens. “It’s an amazing feeling — it feels like you’re flying,” Glenn says.
That’s what she remembers happening on May 13, 2022, on the Cooper River in New Jersey at the Patriot League Varsity 8 Grand Final when she was just a first-year student.
Bucknell was expected to finish third or fourth, but Glenn and her teammates pulled off a surprise upset. Sitting in her usual seat in the middle of the boat, Glenn helped power Bucknell to a gold medal, beating powerhouse Boston University by more than seven seconds and earning 2022 Patriot League Boat of the Year honors. It was the first time Bucknell won the race since 2012.
“I remember we woke up that day, and we were just kind of joking around because none of us were expecting to win,” Glenn says. “Honestly, I think that’s what made us do well because we weren’t as nervous. We were so in sync.”
That same year, Bucknell’s varsity eight team beat Harvard for the first time in the University’s history at the Ivy League Invitational.
At the 2023 and 2024 Patriot League Women’s Rowing Championships, Bucknell fell short of its 2022 high-water mark, finishing third and fifth, respectively.
But Glenn, who is going into her senior year, will have another shot at glory in 2025. Glenn believes the team’s ethos — defined by an unwavering work ethic, resilience and love of the sport — will keep her teammates in sync, both on and off the water.
