Sophia Santarelli '26 Recruiting Profile

When I started rowing as a freshman in high school, it only seemed to be a sport of pure physical strength. As I attended practices and learned more about the sport, I was astonished when I realized that it required mental strength as well. Pushing myself through difficult erg pieces along with pulling as hard as possible on the water, I immersed myself into the mental challenges that come with rowing. Like many other sports, there are mental blocks that can lead to failure. This failure puts a damper on constant improvement during every season. I have learned that I not only need to be physically fit, but mentally tough. During my college experience I am looking to indulge myself into further exploration on how to improve my mental and physical strength. In addition to my athletic career, I find that it is important that I do well in school.The mental toughness I obtain from rowing can be translated into my academics. As a student-athlete my main goal is to continuously improve. I am looking for a college that will help me achieve both my academic and athletic career goals.