For rowing’s Cole Riedinger, leadership is about responsibility | Penn Today
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Archived: 2026-04-23 17:20
For rowing’s Cole Riedinger, leadership is about responsibility | Penn Today
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For fourth-year men’s rower
Cole Riedinger
, leadership is not about titles. It’s about responsibility.
As a member of the men’s Heavyweight Rowing program, Riedinger has embraced the opportunity to lead both on and off the water. But his journey to that role wasn’t built on natural talent alone.
View large image
Class of 2026 rower Cole Reidinger.
(Image: Courtesy of Penn Athletics)
“When I was recruited to Penn Rowing, I wasn’t the most naturally talented or the fastest athlete in the room,” he says. “But the coach who recruited me saw potential and took a chance on me. I’ve always felt a responsibility to honor that belief through the way I show up every day.”
Leadership, Reidinger says, begins with example.
“In practice, that means operating at my best and helping ‘set the temperature’ rather than reacting to it,” he says. “It means bringing consistency, urgency, and focus—especially on the days when it would be easier not to.”
He views leadership as stewardship—of both culture and standards.
“Leadership is about protecting Penn’s standard of excellence. We hold ourselves to a high bar, and my role is to both uphold that standard and support my teammates as they grow into it. Setting clear goals, creating accountability, and helping individuals see what they’re capable of—that’s what leadership means to me.”
“When I went through recruiting from freshman through senior year, I was struck by how difficult it was to connect with Penn Rowing alumni," he adds. “We have an incredibly accomplished and generous alumni base, but there wasn’t a clear structure in place to connect them with current athletes.”
As captain, he has taken initiative—reaching out through official and informal channels to create a sustainable mentorship network. The result is more than 50 alumni mentors across 15 industries now actively support current athletes with career guidance, recruiting advice, and internship opportunities.
Earlier this fall, the team hosted its first career day, welcoming alumni back to campus to speak directly with athletes.
“It was a meaningful step toward building a stronger professional network within our program,” Riedinger says. “None of this would be possible without the incredible support of our alumni, and we’re deeply grateful for their willingness to invest in the next generation of rowers.”
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Penn Athletics.
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Skip to Content
Skip to Content
News from
University of Pennsylvania
Try Advanced Search
For fourth-year men’s rower
Cole Riedinger
, leadership is not about titles. It’s about responsibility.
As a member of the men’s Heavyweight Rowing program, Riedinger has embraced the opportunity to lead both on and off the water. But his journey to that role wasn’t built on natural talent alone.
View large image
Class of 2026 rower Cole Reidinger.
(Image: Courtesy of Penn Athletics)
“When I was recruited to Penn Rowing, I wasn’t the most naturally talented or the fastest athlete in the room,” he says. “But the coach who recruited me saw potential and took a chance on me. I’ve always felt a responsibility to honor that belief through the way I show up every day.”
Leadership, Reidinger says, begins with example.
“In practice, that means operating at my best and helping ‘set the temperature’ rather than reacting to it,” he says. “It means bringing consistency, urgency, and focus—especially on the days when it would be easier not to.”
He views leadership as stewardship—of both culture and standards.
“Leadership is about protecting Penn’s standard of excellence. We hold ourselves to a high bar, and my role is to both uphold that standard and support my teammates as they grow into it. Setting clear goals, creating accountability, and helping individuals see what they’re capable of—that’s what leadership means to me.”
“When I went through recruiting from freshman through senior year, I was struck by how difficult it was to connect with Penn Rowing alumni," he adds. “We have an incredibly accomplished and generous alumni base, but there wasn’t a clear structure in place to connect them with current athletes.”
As captain, he has taken initiative—reaching out through official and informal channels to create a sustainable mentorship network. The result is more than 50 alumni mentors across 15 industries now actively support current athletes with career guidance, recruiting advice, and internship opportunities.
Earlier this fall, the team hosted its first career day, welcoming alumni back to campus to speak directly with athletes.
“It was a meaningful step toward building a stronger professional network within our program,” Riedinger says. “None of this would be possible without the incredible support of our alumni, and we’re deeply grateful for their willingness to invest in the next generation of rowers.”
Read more at
Penn Athletics.
Share this article
Threads
Credits
Writer
From Penn Athletics
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Rowing
Student Athletes
Class of 2026
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No brain, no gain: Neuronal activity enhances benefits of exercise
Image: Sciepro/Science Photo Library via Getty Images
Natural Sciences
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Research led by Penn neuroscientist J. Nicholas Betley and collaborators finds that hypothalamic neurons are essential for translating physical exertion into endurance, potentially opening the door to exercise-mimicking therapies.
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In honor of Valentine's Day, and as a way of fostering community in her Shakespeare in Love course, Becky Friedman took her students to the University Club for lunch one class period. They talked about the movie "Shakespeare in Love," as part of a broader conversation on how Shakespeare's works are adapted.
nocred
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Studying Shakespeare through the lens of love
In Becky Friedman’s English course Shakespeare in Love, undergraduate students analyze language, genre, and adaptation in the Bard’s plays through the lens of love.
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Dorit Aviv, director of Weitzman’s Thermal Architecture Lab, studies how humans, technology, and design intersect, paving the way for the development of novel approaches to cooling people efficiently.