Mills heading to Monmouth
Motivation is clearly not an issue for Syrah Mills.
The 17-year-old, Grade 12 student at Saint Francis has committed to Monmouth University for the fall of 2025 to row and study biology, but having a scholarship sewn up doesn’t mean she can finally take a breather.
On the contrary, Mills feels things are just getting started.
“It’s funny, because people keep saying to me, ‘You don’t have to worry about anything now, you can just let go,’ Mills said. “But I know I’m training harder and I’m working harder because I know that this is one step, but I still have four years of a major that I want to complete. I want to complete a biology major, and I’d like to go to med school.
“It’s the start of something, not the end of something.”
Mills committed to the school, located in West Long Branch, N.J., following a visit to the campus.
“It was a really easy process because the second I stepped foot on campus, it was a no-brainer,” she said. “It was just beautiful. I went in November and it was still really nice.”
Mills also hit it off with head women’s rowing coach Scott Belford and his staff.
“They were great coaches and I knew right off the bat,” she said. “I was comfortable with them and they really liked the fact that I was a multi-sport athlete because I went from swimming to triathlon and then a quick transition into rowing. And it was actually the quickest transition they’d seen from one sport to the other.
“I visited a couple of other schools, but it wasn’t what I was thinking academic-wise and this was a (significant) scholarship. That’s a no-brainer.”
Belford had high praise for Mills.
“We are extremely excited to be adding Syrah Mills to our program. She is a talented multi-sport athlete who brings the highest level of intensity to all of her athletic pursuits. Her background in track and swimming prepared her well for the successful transition she has made to rowing. We can’t wait to see the impact she has on our program,” Belford said. “Our coaching staff has focused a great deal of effort into recruiting in Canada. The competition at the RCA (Rowing Canada Aviron) and CSSRA (Canadian Secondary School Rowing Association) Regattas is elite and the athletes emerge from their scholastic and club programs very prepared for the rigours of NCAA Division I rowing.”
Mills began her journey into athletics in gymnastics but had to give the sport when she broke her femur and growth plate attached to her right leg when she was eight years old.
“I had to get a surgery and then basically the growth was stunted permanently,” she said. “I went into swimming originally for physio. My brother was also a competitive swimmer and then I ended up loving it.”
By 11, Mills had qualified for nationals but then COVID hit which took her out of the pool.
The pandemic opened the door for Mills to try running and cycling.
“I realized that maybe triathlon was more up my alley so I ended up doing that and I won a couple of triathlons,” she said.
More surgery followed two years ago which involved lengthening her leg with two screws in the hip, two screws in the knee and a rod going through her leg.
“I still have all that hardware so long distance running inside wasn’t going to work so that was off the table,” she said. “I was in my wheelchair for six months and then crutches and physio. Even in August, I still had a limp so that’s when I joined rowing. My dad used to be a high school rowing coach at Saint Mike’s and he introduced the concept to me.”
Mills enjoyed immediate success on the water at Saint Francis under coaches Liz Harold and Liz Ianizzi.
“I started in the fall season. I rowed in an eight and I ended up doing really, really well and also did well on the erg. An appearance in the doubles final at CSSRA was followed by a win in a quad at Schuylkill Regatta in Philadelphia.
Mills has been training with Michele Fisher at the St. Catharines Rowing Club where she works out with other local rowers such as Maggie MacPherson (Delaware), Pippa Soyka Rozendaal (Canisius) and Rheagan Hamm (Monmouth), who have also committed to D1 programs.
Mills also continues to swim. She earned gold medals in the 50-metre butterfly and 100-metre individual medley at OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations) last year, setting a record in the butterfly in the process.
Mills said her success is the product of more than just an obvious amount of natural ability.
“There’s always the three aspects of success. There’s the physical, there’s the talent and then the drive. I mean, if you don’t have all three, it doesn’t work. And I’ve met lots of girls. They have the height. They have the talent. And sometimes that little piece of drive and motivation is missing.”
Mills is eager to start at Monmouth.
“I really enjoy like my own space and being alone but also like discovering new things. I have obviously a little fear because I’m gonna be away from home but I’m fully confident that like I’m going to find my people, find my group and as long as I stick to what I know, sports and school, nothing can go wrong.”
Dear reader. If you liked this story or one of the 6,600 other stories found on our website, please consider hitting the Support Us button on the right-hand side of our home page and making a PayPal contribution to our website. Your support would be much appreciated. If you are a business owner, please consider advertising on our site. Our rates are reasonable and we provide plenty of exposure for your business. Contact [email protected] for more information.
