Carrasco signs with Iowa rowing

Sadie Carrasco, a senior at Mt. Pleasant high school, will be joining the Iowa Hawkeye women's rowing team next year. Carrasco signed her letter of intent to attend and row on Wednesday in the Mt. Pleasant High School media center.

Carrasco has been a part of a handful of sports at Mt. Pleasant, competing in volleyball, basketball and soccer in her senior season. She says she found out about the rowing program from Athletic Director Scott Lamm.

'(Lamm) came across this ‘Homegrown Hawkeye' program,” Carrasco says. 'They were looking for athletic and coachable girls that they could teach the ropes of rowing. He put my name in for recommendation, and that's kind of how I got into it.”

Carrasco says she hasn't rowed on a team before, but has done it on her grandfather's farm. She says she knows one rower, Mt. Pleasant's Molly Hill, and that she's ready for two-a-day rowing practices at the Hawkeyes' home facility.

Carrasco will be studing health and human physiology, and also doubling in Spanish. She hasn't decided what she'll do with those degrees, but says there are plenty of opportunities.

'With this major, I have so many job fields that I can go into,” Carrasco says. 'And I like to have options.”

Carrasco had family, friends and coaches on hand to watch the signing. She says competing for Panther sports teams has helped her learn how to build a team-atmosphere.

'It tought me how to be a team player,” Carrasco says. 'I love being on teams. I love being part of teams, and praticing with them, and it's just that atmosphere that really kept me going.”