Sasha Smith '25 Recruiting Profile

My first experience rowing, as an eighth grader, was on the Puget Sound with the Bainbridge Island Rowing Club, which is my hometown in Washington state.  In my sophomore year I moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee to become a boarding student at the Baylor School.  I am proud to have medaled several times with my team at Baylor during the past two seasons. Notably, we placed second overall at the 2023 SRAA National Championships in the JV4+, where I rowed in bow seat.  I am bisweptual, and I have competed in eights, a four, and a quad.  I have also had opportunities to practice in a double and in a single. Since the fall of 2023, I have been focused on rowing bow seat of my team’s U17 women’s quad.  In this boat, we won gold at the Secret City Head Race and placed fourth at the 2023 Head of the Hooch.  

Rowing has become a central part of my life, and I could not be more grateful for the impact my team and coaches have had on me.  While rowing itself brings me joy, the positive attitude and visible hard work of my team mates further pushes me to love the work that I do on and off the water.  In college, I hope to find a team that encourages each other, lifting each other up so that we can improve together.  I value my academics and education, so I am interested in a program that understands how rowing works as one part of being a confident, hardworking, and successful student.  I hope I can continue to participate in this sport that I love along with other athletes who are willing to work as hard as I am.