Clemson Women’s Rowing Welcomes Four Student-Athletes to Program

Feb. 7, 2011

Four student-athletes, including three international students, have been added to the Clemson Women’s Rowing roster for the spring 2011 season. Head Coach Robbie Tenenbaum made the announcement Monday.

“I am very pleased to welcome Leigh Allison, Maria Jose Gutierrez, Laura D’Urso and Evelyn Toth to the Clemson Women’s Rowing Team,” said Tenenbaum.

Leigh Allison, from Mount Pleasant, SC is a sophomore here at Clemson, and rowed on the Clemson Club team last year. Leigh won a silver medal at the Dad Vail Regatta in the Novice Women’s 4 event. “Leigh is a great person, and I know that I wanted her to join our team the moment I met her,” said Tenenbaum. Leigh is majoring in Biosystems Engineering.

Maria Jose Gutierrez (Majo) is from Lima, Peru and is a freshman here at Clemson. Majo started rowing in 2005 for her high school in Peru, and quickly developed a talent in the single scull. She is the 2008, 2009 and 2010 Peru National Champion in the Junior 1x and Under 23 1x. In the summer of 2009, Maria Jose represented Peru in the 1X at the Junior World Rowing Championships in Brieve, France. She is majoring in Visual Arts.

Laura D’Urso is from Culdaff, Co. Donegal, Ireland and is a freshman at Clemson. Laura has had a stellar junior career in Ireland and abroad. She has an extensive amount of racing experience, including Irish National Championships in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Laura represented Ireland at the Junior World Rowing Championships in the summer of 2009, finishing in 4th place in the Junior Women’s Double. Laura is majoring in Food Science.

Evelyn Toth is from Budapest, Hungary and is a freshman at Clemson. Evelyn started rowing in 2004 and has had a remarkable career in Europe. Evelyn won Hungarian National Championships in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. Toth represented Hungary at the 2008 Junior World Rowing Championships, and she finished in 5th place at the Under 23 Championships in Brest, Belarus in the summer of 2010.

“I am thrilled that Leigh decided to join us after a year on the club team, and really pleased that Maria Jose, Laura and Evelyn chose to become Clemson Tigers. All four are great students, and are really looking forward to their studies and the spring races here at Clemson.”