Brittany Presten was a standout swimmer in high school. She holds the school record in the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke at College Preparatory School in Orinda, California.
A bothersome rotator cuff injury coupled with the recommendation from family and friends to explore rowing changed her daily routine and her sport of choice.
In her junior year of high school, Presten joined the Oakland Strokes rowing club, rowing in the club's novice eight.
“I really enjoyed rowing right away,” Presten said. “I was used to high-volume training as a year-round swimmer. It made the transition easier.”
The summer following her first year on the water, her coach at the Oakland Strokes, Derek Byrnes, invited her to train with the varsity eight crew and compete at the Canadian Henley.
“I learned so much about proper technique and developed the skills I needed to compete at a high level,” Presten said.
Presten and her teammates went on to medal at the Canadian Henley Regatta that summer.
The Stanford lightweight rowing program had captured three-straight Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) National Championships prior to her freshman season with the Cardinal.
Rowing was certainly going to play a role in her college choice, but the lifetime Bay Area native wanted to explore something new and explored colleges on the East Coast.
After she got back from her East Coast tour of schools, Presten decided to visit Stanford. The choice was easy from there.
“Stanford felt right at home for me,” Presten explained. “I wanted a college that had that great balance of academics and rowing and Stanford was the perfect fit for me.”
“I was incredibly intimidated at first as I was joining a team that had won three titles prior to me coming to Stanford,” Presten said. “I wanted to help as much as I could. The team concept of rowing has always been the most important aspect for me. I knew this team was strong. It was a fun end of the season.”
That fun end of the season for Presten was an IRA Championship in her lightweight eight, which extended Stanford's streak to four years of national titles.
“Every day you get up in the morning and work hard during training,” Presten explained. “You really don't know your speed relative to the other crews until the regattas begin. It has been such a rewarding experience for me.”
Stanford head coach Al Acosta left to become the head coach of the open weight rowing program at California after Presten's sophomore season. Following a national search, Stanford hired Byrnes to take over the reins and continue Acosta's successful stretch of titles.
“It was tough at first because we all loved Al, but we were happy for him take on a new role at his alma matter,” Presten said. “After not having a coach for several months, it was great to see Derek take over our program. It made the transition a lot easier. I loved having him as a coach in high school. He has taught us all so much.”
After a second-place finish in 2014, Presten and her teammates captured the lightweight eight as well as the team IRA championship her junior season in 2015. The lightweight eight has not lost a race since 2014 and the Cardinal's top lightweight crew is seeking its third national title in for years this week at the 2016 IRA Championships in New Jersey.
She also earned a spot on the United States National Team roster, rowing in the lightweight quad for the U-23 National Team that placed fifth at the U-23 World Championships in Italy the summer after her sophomore year.
Rowing is only half of the Stanford team captain's story, though.
Presten has always been a standout in the classroom as well. A biomechanical engineering major, when she is not rowing, she is working on a number of projects.
Boasting a 3.83 cumulative grade-point average, Presten is a two-time Academic All-American. She has executed several projects during her time at Stanford from building a pinball machine to creating a biomimetic kangaroo.
During her Mechanical Engineering 112 class that focuses on mechanical systems design last quarter, her class was tasked with creating a biomimetic creature from scratch. The finished product had to be able to use its four legs and tail to walk and be completely autonomous.
Presten's four-person group spent a little over two weeks designing their “critter” with materials such as duron and acrylic. Presten's group created a finished product that walked a certain distance during the group's presentation with the others in the class.
“The team component is what attracted me to mechanical engineering,” Presten explained. “Like rowing, everyone works together to execute their goal. I really enjoy problem solving and applying the principles of math and physics to create a functioning product from scratch.”
Presten stepped outside of her engineering focus at the beginning of her junior year, exploring a different culture while studying abroad in Paris during the fall quarter.
“I used it as a growth opportunity,” Presten explained. “I wanted to go to a country and immerse myself in the language. I took French as part of my curriculum leading up the trip and continued to learn the language while I was there. It was a different style of teaching. I enjoyed my experience.”
Presten is now in the middle of her co-term in mechanical engineering at Stanford, where she will earn her masters next year.
Up next though is her final IRA Championships. After taking a final exam in Tissue Engineering Tuesday morning, she headed to the airport with her teammates to fly to New Jersey, where she will try and help guide the lightweight eight to another national title this weekend on Mercer Lake.
“I am sure I will still feel those same nerves when I hear 'Ready, Attention' as we start that final race,” Presten, a two-time CRCA All-American, explained. “In order to be in this position, you have to have put in the work for the entire year. You have to be confident in the fact you have done everything you can up to this point. We have such a great bond with this team and have put in the work.”
This Sunday, Presten and her teammates look to be rewarded for that hard work with another national title.