Photo by: Karl Maasdam/Oregon State Athletics
Get to Know Max McDonald
October 30, 2019 | Men's Rowing
Heart and soul. The first two characteristics Max McDonald listed off about his favorite athlete – Draymond Green who Max called "The Heartbeat of the City."
A native of Oakland California, 'McDilly' (a nickname that began as his Xbox username in high school) sees a lot of similarities between his hometown and Corvallis.
"I love the food and the people in Oakland," McDonald said. "It's just got a very laid-back vibe, similar to Corvallis, but with more of the big city action."
Max started rowing in seventh grade with a bit of an untraditional beginning with the sport. His brother had been rowing for a year before he started, paving the way for Max to follow in his wake.
"I was too uncoordinated to play any other sport," McDonald says with a hearty laugh. "I was ousted from recreational soccer and rowing just kind of became my new thing since my brother had already started.
Within five years Max would be on a crew at the top of his level, winning a national championship with the Oakland Strokes rowing club during his senior year of high school (a year before fellow Beaver Ben Garrison would help Oakland Strokes win back to back titles). Even with a national championship under his belt, Max's favorite memory from club rowing would come 3000 miles from his hometown in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
"Head of the Charles 2014, I remember it like it was yesterday," McDonald said. "The conditions were terrible and we were like 15 seconds slower than the guys who were projected to win – they were about to win for their fifth year in a row on the 50th anniversary of the Regatta and we got to play spoiler and ended up beating them by about two seconds."
In the midst of his senior season, Max again elicits laughter from the boathouse with his favorite story from his time so far at Oregon State.
"The 2018 Orange and Black Regatta and the mixed Varsity 8 -- my lineup was elite," McDonald said. "We didn't win but we won in our hearts, you know."
Follow Us on Social
For more information on the Oregon State men's rowing team, visit OSUBeavers.com or follow the team's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/BeaverMRowing, on Facebook at Facebook.com/BeaverRowing, or on Instagram at Instagram.com/BeaverMRowing.
OUR MISSION
Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).
A native of Oakland California, 'McDilly' (a nickname that began as his Xbox username in high school) sees a lot of similarities between his hometown and Corvallis.
"I love the food and the people in Oakland," McDonald said. "It's just got a very laid-back vibe, similar to Corvallis, but with more of the big city action."
Max started rowing in seventh grade with a bit of an untraditional beginning with the sport. His brother had been rowing for a year before he started, paving the way for Max to follow in his wake.
"I was too uncoordinated to play any other sport," McDonald says with a hearty laugh. "I was ousted from recreational soccer and rowing just kind of became my new thing since my brother had already started.
Within five years Max would be on a crew at the top of his level, winning a national championship with the Oakland Strokes rowing club during his senior year of high school (a year before fellow Beaver Ben Garrison would help Oakland Strokes win back to back titles). Even with a national championship under his belt, Max's favorite memory from club rowing would come 3000 miles from his hometown in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
"Head of the Charles 2014, I remember it like it was yesterday," McDonald said. "The conditions were terrible and we were like 15 seconds slower than the guys who were projected to win – they were about to win for their fifth year in a row on the 50th anniversary of the Regatta and we got to play spoiler and ended up beating them by about two seconds."
In the midst of his senior season, Max again elicits laughter from the boathouse with his favorite story from his time so far at Oregon State.
"The 2018 Orange and Black Regatta and the mixed Varsity 8 -- my lineup was elite," McDonald said. "We didn't win but we won in our hearts, you know."
Follow Us on Social
For more information on the Oregon State men's rowing team, visit OSUBeavers.com or follow the team's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/BeaverMRowing, on Facebook at Facebook.com/BeaverRowing, or on Instagram at Instagram.com/BeaverMRowing.
OUR MISSION
Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).
Players Mentioned
Coxswain
/ Men's Rowing
Rower
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