Rowers among Bay High School seniors to sign with collegiate athletic programs

Anneliese Larsen signs to row at Monmouth University in New Jersey. Foundry coaches and family witness the signing. 

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On an unseasonably warm and sunny day in early February of 2024, the Bay High School community, along with numerous family members, friends, and teammates, gathered to celebrate seven members of the class of 2024 as they committed to continue their respective athletic careers in college.

Bay Rockets’ Athletic Director Matt Spellman noted that gathering to celebrate athletic successes and future opportunities is “very exciting” and he “looks forward to it every year.” This year was especially notable for Spellman, given the large size of the group of student athletes, and that his son Brendan was among the signees and will join the football program at MIT in the fall.

Among the dedicated athletes signing their National Letter of Intent (NLI), two are members of the Cleveland Foundry Juniors Competitive Rowing team. The Foundry Community Rowing and Sailing Center in Cleveland is a non-profit organization that teaches rowing and sailing to  students in grades 6-12 in the Cleveland area, regardless of prior experience.

Anneliese Larsen and Kayla Surovi will continue to row in the fall at Monmouth University and West Virginia University, respectively.

Larsen has been rowing competitively for most of her high school career. After earning a seat at big regattas including US Rowing Youth Nationals and the Head of the Charles in Boston, Mass., she was eager to share her love of the sport of rowing.

Larsen convinced Bay classmate and cross-country teammate Kayla Surovi to attend a CFJ practice just about a year ago, in the winter of 2023. Surovi took to the sport quickly and drew on endurance training from other sports while she learned the technical aspects of rowing.

Surovi is excited to begin college as a Mountaineer and hopes to major in health sciences. She looks forward to finding balance as a collegiate student athlete. Larsen will be joining the Monmouth Hawks in northern New Jersey. She looks forward to exploring the surrounding area, especially the beach and nearby NYC, while “working hard and staying active.”

Larsen and Surovi were joined by their families and CFJ teammates Avery Douglas and Nola Foote. Douglas, a senior at Westlake, will row for University of Alabama next year and Foote, of Fairview Park, will join the University of Connecticut women’s rowing team.

Foundry Coach Matthew Houser is “extremely proud of them, their teamwork, and their growth in the sport. ... They’ve been an absolute pleasure to coach, and I am excited to have them on the team for one more spring season.”