Athletes of the Week: Alex Urquhart and Milo Walshe

By Nat Kpodonu

This spring would have marked the fourth and final high school season for Boys’ Crew captains Alex Urquhart and Milo Walshe, who have poured years of hard work and dedication into their team.

The title of team captains did not come as a surprise for the two. “I think one of the reasons they were chosen as captains was their steady attitude during practice,” assistant coach Avery Reavill said. The captains, he said, always stayed positive, even when the weather was miserable or the boats weren’t running level, and they knew exactly what would help the team improve. “They work hard to bring that out of themselves and others.”

Walshe had not previously participated in crew before attending the Academy. He decided to try out after teammates from other sports recommended the crew team. “I started rowing my prep spring with novice coach Townley Chisholm. A bunch of my friends on the water polo and swim team were already rowers so I thought I’d give it a shot,” he recalled. In addition to his friends, head coach Albert Leger, a dormitory affiliate, encouraged Walshe to give crew a try.

“I really enjoy rowing with my teammates because we just keep getting better and better after each piece,” Walshe said.

Similarly, Urquhart started his prep year, although, instead of encouragement from friends, it was a family member that motivated him to start. “My dad was a rower back in England during the 70s, so I had always considered picking up crew,” he said.

Urquhart started at the bottom of the ladder in the first few months of rowing, but he quickly improved. “I spent my novice season on the lowest boat, but erging during my lower winter helped me jump up and compete for the varsity boats,” he said. 

Crew is known to be a grueling and competitive sport of constant struggle. Though Urquhart does not dispute this statement, he views the rewards of winning and being with the team as greater than all other obstacles. “I always like to say that crew is 90 percent torture and 10 percent joy. However, those good moments outweigh the challenges by far.” 

“Individually, rowing is awesome because you can always be getting faster, as long as you stay on the grind. The best part about rowing is when you cross the finish line first. You’re in a ton of pain but it still feels great,” Walshe agreed. 

In addition to their love of crew, the captains have developed strong relationships with their teammates. “Alex and Milo are both so approachable. They make me comfortable when asking them questions about how to improve, get faster or about my technique,” upper Hassane Fiteni said. Even outside of the boathouse, Urquhart and Walshe were great teammates and listeners. “From team dinners at Weth to regattas away, the two of them could always offer advice and suggestions relating to crew or Exeter life in general.”

The co-captains are each prime examples of what hard work can produce. Guiding multiple seasons of crew, Urquhart has demonstrated great leadership. In years past, he not only organized the team and led by example—he was the stroke of the 4+ at the Head of the Charles and improved steadily over the course of the year as well.

“I know Alex would have been a great captain this season with his leadership abilities, his dedication to the sport and his devotion to the guys,” Leger said. Urquhart aimed to bring in more people to share his love of crew and make other members of the team enthused for brutal erg workouts.

Walshe also showcased his many abilities by being an essential part of the varsity crew program over the past few years. “I am convinced that Milo would have been a critical member of the first boat once again this year,” Leger siad. Walshe also had a great enthusiasm for the team and enjoyed fostering a successful dynamic every spring. 

Loving the sport and coming back to it after every rough season are not for the faint of heart. Walshe comes back because of the high he gets from racing and the product of all the hard work put in everyday. 

The regattas at the end of the season are what makes crew worthwhile to Walshe. “I really look forward to NEIRAs,” he said. “The practices leading up to that regatta are something else just because the whole boat is totally in the zone. And when we sit ready at the start line before our grand final, there’s so much adrenaline.” 

Urquhart also comes back to see the results of his team’s hard work each year. Though he loves seeing everyone get stronger and faster, crew is not only for the exercise. “It’s the little moments, too: joking around as you strap the boats into the trailer, gorging yourself at the food tent after a race, dinners with the boys, all the rest,” he said. “Crew has been the most challenging thing I’ve ever done, but I’d put myself through a thousand 6-by-500s to be with the boys.”

This season may have been taken away from them, but the two captains are proud of how far the team has come. “I was looking forward to seeing the two of them in action this spring, but I know they’ll both be very active in checking in on their teammates as we navigate this term from home,” Reavill said