Lillian Whitmore '15 Recruiting Profile

Throughout my high school career I participated in cross country and indoor/outdoor track; and I planned on running for a club team in college. However, one day I was out on the quad at American University when I was approached by one of the varsity women from the crew team. Rowing was something I had been interested in, but there were not any local places for me to row while I was in high school. So I decided to go to the information session and meet the team, then the next day I went to the first novice women's practice. Needless to say, although we weren't rowing that day, I was hooked on the energy that the varsity women displayed and the overall team atmosphere. Within about two weeks we were on the water, rowing in a very dysfunctional eight. As the semester continued we all progressed and grew as athletes and people. I had never found a sport that I really clicked with, running was enjoyable but I could never get my times down to the varsity level. Rowing was and is, completely different for me. Oddly enough, I enjoyed the excruciating workouts and early morning practices, because I knew that I was becoming stronger and that I could push my limits everyday.