POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – The Marist rowing team had the honor of hosting two-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time world championship gold medalist Meghan Musnicki Tuesday morning at the Cornell Boathouse. Musnicki spoke in front of Marist rowers and coaches about her Olympic quest, overcoming adversity, hard work and teamwork.

"To have an elite athlete such as Meghan spend time with our rowing program at the boathouse was very inspirational for our athletes and coaches," said Director of Rowing Tom Sanford. "Listening to her speak about her collegiate rowing experiences and her relentless work ethic and drive after college to successfully make the U.S. Women's National Team and go on to win 5 world championships and two Olympics in the women's 8+ was an invaluable experience for our team."

Musnicki competed at the London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics in the women's eight, winning gold both times. In the FISA World Rowing Championships, Musnicki has competed five times in the W8+, winning gold in each instance.

"We will use her message of what it takes to reach excellence in rowing as we progress through winter training and throughout our racing season in pursuit of winning the MAAC Championship in May," Sanford said.

The Marist men's and women's rowing schedule will be released in the coming weeks as the teams continue to prepare for their spring slate of races.