Pushing it to the Limit
Alessandra Pichelli has always been a good competitor.
Her former Saint Mary’s rowing coaches and teammates already knew that about the 2009 SMC grad. Pichelli helped the Gaels to strong finishes throughout her SMC rowing career, and her Varsity 8 boat finished third at the West Coast Conference championships.
But, as accomplished as she was as a Gael, Pichelli has gone on to achieve even greater heights athletically.
On the advice of Saint Mary’s rowing coach Nicole Younts, she began participating in CrossFit, a regimen that combines intense cardiovascular with strength training, and competing on the Diablo CrossFit team.
Last summer, Pichelli entered the Northern California regional CrossFit competition in Santa Rosa and won first place, earning the title of Fittest Woman in Northern California. She followed that up with a third-place finish in the national CrossFit Games in Carson, Calif.
“This is not about proving to other people what I can do,” she said. It’s about proving to myself what I’m capable of. I just want to know that I put it all on the line and I pushed my body to the best that it could be.”
—Ben Enos