Starting from the beginning

By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Media Relations

Natalie Bates entered Lehigh as a member of the track and field team.

She's leaving as a member of the rowing team.

In between, Bates embraced all the opportunities at her fingertips, and she's a better person because of it.

"I really couldn't have imagined my Lehigh experience quite like this because I came in so different than I am today," said the native of Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. "I thought I was going to be a small fish in a big pond. It was only after a couple years when I realized I had a lot of potential to be a leader and a lot of potential beyond the classroom."

To say Bates has taken advantage of resources would be an understatement. The best example may be her decision to compete on the rowing team this past school year. Even though she had exhausted all four years of eligibility on Lehigh's track and field team, Bates knew she would be coming back for a fifth year and was determined to continue competing.

She ended up on the rowing team, and it couldn't have worked any better for both sides.

"I knew I was going to be eligible for the President's Scholarship and I didn't know what I was going to do with life beyond track," she said. "I played soccer in high school and I swam. I knew that with rowing, I could have an applicable set of skills, possibly be a starter and have a chance to really be involved in the sport."

Bates was eligible for a fifth year of free tuition because of her strong GPA and tremendous work in the classroom. To be eligible, students must finish their fourth year with a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or higher. Bates decided to turn the opportunity into a second major in Environmental Science (along with her Supply Chain Management and Finance double major she already finished).

"I knew during my second semester of junior year that I was almost definitely going to stay for a fifth year," said Bates. "That's when the wheels started turning and I started thinking about what to do beyond track. I knew I was going to be here and I've been competing in athletics for as long as I can remember, so I needed something."

Bates went through rowing's walk-on process, made the team and started a sport from the beginning.

"I was an upperclassman, but also a novice," said Bates. "I was asked to come to the boathouse and learn everything to teach to the freshmen the next day. It was this weird position where I was teaching others what to do when I myself was not very confident in what I was doing. I had a day or two extra on them, but a lot of them had three or four years of rowing experience. It was pretty humbling."

Although she hadn't rowed before, Lehigh head coach Brian Conley saw potential and plenty of intangibles.

"Natalie was a natural athlete, but the thing that I saw was the natural leadership qualities and desire that I wanted on the team," said Conley. "Natalie also had the physical build of a rower. Coupled with her leadership and athleticism, I knew it was going to be exciting to watch her develop as a rower."

Bates was a novice in her new sport after finishing at the top of her old sport. Bates wrapped up her track and field career by winning a Patriot League Championship in the heptathlon just a few months prior. She would develop as a rower, but it would take time.

"We started off slowly in the fall because it was mostly a boat of people who never really rowed before," said Bates. "Coming from running, it was very weird to be sitting and moving in those positions rather than getting the chance to run and be a natural athlete."

It took time for Bates to truly embrace rowing. Heading to a fall regatta at Bucknell, she had some second thoughts.

"It was a very dark day and I asked myself why I was doing this," she said. "I thought to myself, 'I'm really old compared to a lot of these freshmen. I don't really know this sport and I'm not sure if I even have a passion for it.'"

The opportunity to compete affirmed to Bates that she belonged.

"During the race and a little bit afterwards, I realized I enjoy competing and rowing is where I can do that," she said. "I enjoy the people that I'm rowing with. Even though this may not truly be the sport for me, I can do it for a year and I can really immerse myself while I'm here."

As they say, the rest is history.

Bates thrived as a member of the Varsity Eight this spring after beginning the fall in the novice boats.

"Natalie was determined to be perfect from day one on the water and she picked it up quickly," said Conley. "In the fall, it's anyone's guess who will be in the Varsity Eight. Winter training is where we start to narrow our focus and Natalie started to separate herself and show she should get a chance at being in the top boat. Once we were on the water, she consistently had her boat winning at practice and there was no way of taking her out at that point."

In many ways, Bates' two worlds – track and rowing – collided.

"Rowing looks so much different than track, but it functions in many of the same ways," she said. "I've grown my appreciation for crew through my knowledge of track."

Bates is ending her collegiate career as a rower, but she would have likely never landed at Lehigh if it wasn't for track and field.
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"I knew I wanted to come here my sophomore year of high school," said Bates. "We ran all of our indoor track meets at Lehigh's track, so we would travel an hour from our school up to campus. I would see little glimpses of the campus here and there, and it really started to feel like home. I was doing a lot of self-recruiting, so I was pushing my resume to Coach Matt (Utesch)."

Successful Lehigh student-athletes are the ones who truly embrace the overall experience. Bates was always someone who looked to thrive in multiple areas.

"I knew this was the right environment for me," she said. "I knew I had the grades, too. I came from a small private school and the academic environment here is actually pretty similar to my high school. Lehigh wasn't too much of a shift, but it's a little different with the heaviness of athletics and the heaviness of academics."

Along with her academics and athletics, Bates has made her mark in other ways as well. She was involved in Student-Athlete Mentors and Lehigh's Leadership Academy, which includes programs like Emerging Leaders and Leadership Legacies.

"SAM helped me find my leadership voice because it was a group of freshmen who trusted me and trusted what I had to say about Lehigh," she said. "That moved into the track realm and really helped me find my voice. I was also a tour guide for two years, I was in a business honor society and I was in a couple supply chain honors programs."

Bates' Lehigh experiences have already paid dividends. She has secured a position at BASF, a large international chemical company, starting in July, working in its commercial program.

"I'll be doing a little bit of supply chain, but ultimately, I would like to shift into business sustainability and combine business and environmental aspects," said Bates. "Eventually, I'd like to get my MBA and then ultimately my PhD down the road and become a professor, but I know I first need to work for a while."

It's clear that Bates is someone who embraces challenges. From the beginning, she set the bar high and those high standards have led her to success. It all stems from hard work.

"From day one at Lehigh, I knew that the President's Scholarship is what I wanted to accomplish," said Bates. "I learned that if you keep working, success will eventually come your way. I'm always busy. I'm even wondering what I'm going to do in this month between school and work. I like to keep my schedule completely packed. I feel like free time is time that could be spent doing things."

Bates has enjoyed success as a multi in track, and in the Varsity Eight in rowing, but the biggest takeaway from Bates' career is growth as a person.

"Natalie really took advantage of her college experience," said Conley. "She didn't make an excuse about why she couldn't do something. She made choices and prioritized so she could be a tremendous leader and example for other student-athletes."

Bates truly got the most out of her Lehigh student-athlete experience. Between her wide variety of academic, athletic and extracurricular activities, she is well-prepared for working with people, in all aspects of life.

"It's a lot different working with a team in an athletic setting than with groups in a social or academic setting. Everybody functions so differently and those groups at their core have different goals," said Bates. "Having all those different experiences has made me well-rounded. I like to think of my life as a multi. I'm not the strongest at any one point, but I'm well-rounded in multiple areas."

"Natalie is what we all hope our student-athletes do and become," said Conley. "She will be greatly missed as we continue the legacy she helped start on our team."

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Completed Event: Women's Rowing versus Patriot League Championships on May 15, 2026 , , 8th of 9

Completed Event: Women's Rowing at Colgate on May 2, 2026 ,

Completed Event: Women's Rowing at Lake Wheeler Invite on April 24, 2026 ,

Completed Event: Women's Rowing at Knecht Cup on April 11, 2026 ,

Completed Event: Women's Rowing at Drexel and George Washington on April 4, 2026 ,

Completed Event: Women's Rowing versus Mountain Hawk Invite on March 28, 2026 ,

Completed Event: Women's Rowing versus Class Day Regatta on November 1, 2025 ,

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