Photography by Steve Buchanan
Something in the distance caught Colin Lang’s attention when he attended a tennis camp at the Naval Academy as a sixth-grader. It was a large group of midshipmen dressed in their white uniforms in formation that excited him. It left a lasting impression on the 18-year-old Lang, a recent graduate of Gunston School.
“When I looked at them, I said, ‘I want to be one of those guys one day,’” Lang recalls. “I was so impressed by it. I saw the whole grounds and everything on campus. I wanted to be part of that. It really became my goal.”
Lang made that happen. He got accepted to the Naval Academy in March with a 3.8 grade-point average and a long list of extracurricular activities inside and outside school. The Trappe resident was thrilled to be a member of the rowing team and pursue his career objective as a Navy Surface Welfare Officer on a ship.
“Growing up on the Chesapeake Bay, I have been around boats my whole life,” Lang says. “I love boating and seamanship. I like the leadership aspect as well.”
It seems Lang could talk about rowing all day. He had other college options. The University of San Diego State and Jacksonville University also were on his list of schools. “I started the recruiting process at the end of my sophomore season,” says Lang, who competes in boats with two and four team members. “My second choice was San Diego—another Division I team. Rowing is a big deal at the college level. Not so much on the high school level, but it’s growing.”
Competing in rowing at Gunston took a big commitment from Lang, who initially planned on playing tennis in high school. The sport lasts all school year with regattas in the fall and spring in the mid-Atlantic region, and weight training in the winter.
“He is extremely talented in being able to generate a lot of power,” Gunston Rowing Coach Carter Law says. “But also applying it in a very tactical and skilled way. He can push himself to his absolute physical limit while maintaining good form and keeping in sync with people in the boat.”
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Lang left a legacy at the school. He earned co-ed team MVP honors as a junior and senior and also served as the boys’ team captain this year. Lang set school records in the 2000 and 5000 meters on the Ergometer machine, which is also known as a rowing machine and vital in measuring times in rowing.
“He will probably be one of, if not, the best rower we ever had at our school,” Gunston Athletic Director Josh Breto says. “He is muscular, tall, and a phenomenal athlete. He also was fast and had good stamina.”
Lang’s off-the-water activities must have been attractive to colleges. He belonged to the Model United Nations Club, the Science and Engineering Club, the Business and Investment Club, and the Christian Athletes Club at Gunston, as well as served as sophomore class president and freshman class treasurer.
Lang also was a National Sporting Clays Association sanctioned shooter, a competitive player in the United Tennis Association, and a certified open water scuba diver—and he took Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes several times a week.
“The Naval Academy is perfect for him,” Breto says. “He is yes and no sir. He is very organized and mature. You forget you are talking to a student and not an adult.”
Lang adds, “It’s an incredible opportunity to serve my country and to develop some serious leadership and life skills. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I plan to take advantage of.”
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