Timothy D. Aghai '08

Rower
August 2015

Rower Timothy D. Aghai ’08 won the United States Trials for the 2015 World Rowing Championships in the 2-boat Straight Pair in 6:29.04 earlier this month, in what his former coach, Matt Baldino ’93, calls “a legendary performance on a number of levels.” This most recent success follows a number of achievements for this well-rounded student-athlete including a 2011 Male Student-Athlete of the Year award, a 2012 bachelor's degree in microbiology from the University of Wisconsin, a subsequent master's degree and a place on three national teams (2011, 2012, 2015).

Tim, who began rowing in 2004 on Loyola Academy’s crew team, was unrecruited out of high school but consistently outworked his competition to garner significant attention on the national scale. Despite recommendations from top-level coaches, Tim put off training out of undergrad to attend graduate school—a decision which could have cost him his shot at the Olympics. “A year ago he was training on his own and getting a master’s degree,” says Baldino.

Tim’s talent is balanced by an unwavering work ethic and humble spirit. Ignatian at his core, he is a frequent visitor to Loyola’s boathouse where he has talked to current rowers. For these students, to whom the Olympics may seem a lofty dream, Tim provides something very important—a glimpse of what’s possible with the right combination of hard work and persistence.

And never has that possibility felt so real than today. Tim has devoted himself full-time to making the 2016 Olympics, training with coaches Chris Clark, Simon Carcagno and Beau Hoopman at the US Rowing Training Center in Princeton, New Jersey.

Competing in an unfunded boat, Tim incurs enormous costs—such as rowing equipment, living accommodations, a recent training trip to Italy and a stop in France to compete in the world championship—none of which are subsidized. A fundraising page has been established to help offset some of these expenses and to mitigate any distraction for Tim who has to maintain an acute level of focus these next few months. But despite the daunting task at hand, Tim has a deep gratitude for the efforts on his behalf. Baldino, who is handling logistics for the athlete while he is abroad, recalls Tim’s words before ending every phone call, “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you do for me.”

“He's truly a special kid, and I could not be more proud of who he is and what he is accomplishing,” says Baldino.

To learn more about Tim’s journey and to support his Olympic dream, please visit https://www.rallyme.com/rallies/1949/m2-.

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