Senior Will Heaton will advance his athletic career at Princeton University beginning in fall 2026 on their men’s heavyweight team after spending four years at the Chicago Rowing Foundation (CRF) and earning recognition as an internationally recognized top junior rower.

A decorated athlete, Will won both the U19 eight and U19 four with coxswain in the 2024 Canadian Royal Henley, was selected as one of 20 athletes to represent the USA U19 National Team for the U.S. Rowing Selection Regatta and placed fourth overall in the men’s straight four in the 2025 World Rowing U19 Championships—the best U.S. finish since 2016.

Behind each of his impressive accolades is the collaboration and trust required to move a boat through the water with power. Rowing may appear as an individual strength sport, but the foundation is built on trusting teammates and ensuring cohesion between coxswain and individual rowers.

The strength of those relationships is often tested by the unforgiving nature of the sport. “The constant hard [practices], and stress on the body and mind that come with that can definitely be challenging, especially when it’s paired with boats underperforming or personal issues faced outside of the sport,” Will said.

However, Will rose above these challenges.

Grady Patterson, a junior at Lane Tech College Prep, and Will’s teammate, explained that over the past year, Will has “continually gotten a little stronger and a little better every day. He has become a better teammate and learned to work with the other guys in order to make the boat better.”

Will’s teammates describe his success as not simply his victories but his intense drive to improve and ability to propel those around him forward. Over time, he said, the sport has taught him an important lesson: “Production is not possible without effort, but effort can come without production.”

Building off of his continual hard work, Will glided through Trakai, Lithuania, alongside fellow Latin senior Olivia Lindemann at the 2025 World Rowing U19 Championships. “We had a historic sweep of all the categories we raced, and it was a culmination of a lot of hard, simple work,” he said.

Sammy Speck, a senior at Lane Tech College Prep and another one of Will’s teammates, said, “Over my four years with him I’ve seen him transform from another 14 year old to a full man. He's put on his size and worked so much to get better.”

Grady seconded Sammy’s sentiment, noting, “[He] will not stop until he’s completely gone above and beyond his goals. Even after breaking records he keeps pushing to set the bar further.”

That work is essential to success in the sport. As opposed to unpredictable team sports such as basketball or hockey, prosperity in crew is a result of practicing almost identical strokes for multiple hours every single day, with practices starting as early as 5 a.m.

The same consistency that drives Will’s success as a rower also shapes his presence within the team. “When I think of him as an athlete, I think of him as the man … and when I think of who I want representing me, I think of Will,” Sammy said.

Much of his impact is cultivated through team culture at CRF. Both of his teammates emphasized the importance of the brotherhood that is developed within the boat.

“Everyone on the team wants to see each other succeed because we all really care about each other,” Grady said. “When you are spending more than two hours every day with these eight people, they naturally end up becoming some of your best friends, and you just want nothing but the best for them.”

Sammy described chemistry as one of the sport’s most important factors. “When you’re able to find a collective goal with boys who you love and trust, you want to see the best of them and the speed that you can [create] from that is unbelievable.”

Due to the intense practice and competition schedule, Will had to give up school events such as Prom, senior Homecoming, and out-of-town Project Week. However, he is still grateful for the opportunities the sport has given him.

“I’m very happy to make that sacrifice,” he said, “but it can be hard to give up time with my school friends for a sport that isn’t a part of Latin. I’ve been going to Latin for 14 years now, so I consider some of my friends here truly as my family, and it’s definitely tough to give up time with them.”

To help student athletes who participate in out-of-school sports feel recognized for their accomplishments, the Athletics Department celebrates their achievements through events such as Signing Day and social media posts.

“We want students who compete outside of Latin to still feel like an important part of our athletics community,” Upper School Athletics Director Katie Johnson said. “We know many of these athletes dedicate an incredible amount of time to their sport and represent Latin at a very high level.”

The community built in Latin and the brotherhood found through CRF ultimately shaped Will’s college decision.

He initially started the recruiting process at the beginning of his junior year with 14 potential schools. By the beginning of his senior year, he had narrowed it down to four highly competitive academic and athletic programs.

Ultimately, Will loved everything about Princeton. He said, “From the coaches, to the guys, to the way the team approached each session, I knew it was where I’d be my happiest and most successful and fulfilled self.”