During her senior year at Rochester High School, Sofie Sand wasn’t planning on being a collegiate athlete. Sure, she played soccer and basketball as a Warrior, but she figured that would be it for her athletic career.
That was before she received an email from former Rochester girls basketball coach Davina Serdahl. It was a forwarded message from the University of Washington rowing team, saying that it was looking for new rowers.
Sand was already planning on attending UW, just like her mother did, and though she had never rowed before, she decided to see what the sport had to offer.
“I took a risk, showed up, tried out, and fell in love with it immediately,” Sand said. “(Washington) was the perfect fit, and this was the best bonus ever.”
Over the past three years, Sand has developed into an excellent rower, and last month, she helped the Huskies win their first Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis.
Sand was on the III Fours boat, which finished in 7:03.150 to set a new championship record, according to the Big Ten’s release after the championships.
Sand’s boat was one of seven that UW took to Indy, and all seven won gold medals. As a team, the Huskies scored a record 264 points to win the team title, beating second-place Rutgers by 25.
“Going into Big Tens, our goal was to sweep and to win,” Sand said. “I was so confident in my boat, and I believed in every single person across my team to meet that goal of sweeping.”
While the conference title is her most notable win of the season, it’s far from her only one. She also was a part of the crews that won at the San Diego Crew Classic, the Big Ten Invitational, The Dual vs. California, and the Windermere Cup/Opening Day Regatta.
Sand has also done well in the classroom. The biology major was honored as a Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association Scholar-Athlete as a sophomore last spring, and on Wednesday, she was named to Big Ten’s Spring All-Academic Team.
All this success didn’t come without a learning curve, though.
Sand admitted that when she first got on campus, she and the other new rowers were “eased in,” but once the season got going, it became tougher.
“The community and family that we've built on the team really helped me stick with it,” Sand said. “When we got to the end of the season, I was so glad I didn't decide to stop. I was so glad I made it through.
“When I look back to freshman year coming in not knowing how to row, I’m so grateful to have joined this team,” Sand continued. “It has provided me with so many lessons, and it's become my second family.”
Sand will compete in her senior season next year, where she’ll look to repeat as a Big Ten Champion and potentially compete at the NCAA Championships in Gainesville, Georgia.
It will be the final chapter of her rowing career, one that began with a seemingly random email all those years ago.
“Thank you to Davina Serdahl,” Sand said. “Without her forwarding me that email, I never would have gotten into rowing, and I never would have been a Big Ten champion. My life has been changed because of that.”
