In 2019, then-freshman Sophie Sandahl doubted she could participate in college athletics.

In the five years since then, she joined the Seattle Pacific University rowing team, raced in a national championship, graduated and now works for Renton Rowing Center as a coach for middle schoolers — and on top of that, she brought her sister Lucy along for the ride.

In high school, Sophie was familiar with athletics, having done swimming and track. However, she came to college with the impression that college athletics were out of her league.

“I’d never experienced anything like rowing or even just conceptualized what a college athletics experience might be like,” Sophie Sandahl said. “I was like, ‘I could never do college athletics, that’s just too intense.’”

Sophie looked for something new to do after the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing loneliness and restlessness that came with it. In her sophomore year, she tried out for rowing, even though she did not fully realize what she was getting into.

“I was looking for a community and just something to do, because SPU was still single dorms, socially distanced, coming out fresh from the pandemic, and I saw the rowing team was having tryouts,” Sophie Sandahl said. “Initially, I actually thought it was a club team. I didn’t realize it was like a collegiate-level team. That was an interesting surprise when I ended up trying out.”

The SPU rowing coaching staff at that time (consisting of head coach Caitlin McClain and assistant coaches Matt Oclander, Amy Hildebrandt and Patrick Pappalardo) helped Sophie adjust to rowing and college athletics. 

In 2021, Sophie and the rowing coaches convinced her younger sister, then-sophomore Lucy Sandahl, to join her on the team. According to Lucy, the process involved a fair bit of social pressure, but she was ultimately excited to join up.

“I went to the Involve-O-Rama and different sports recruiting type things, so they eventually wore me down with just coming to meetings telling me it would be fun,” Lucy Sandahl said. “I knew a lot of people on the team already, so I also didn’t feel quite as introverted as I would have coming into a random team.”

One of these people Lucy knew, of course, was her sister. According to Sophie, the idea of getting Lucy on board spread around the team.

“It felt like nagging,” Sophie Sandahl said with a laugh. “A lot of people were like, ‘Oh, we know you have a sister, and we know she’s really athletic. You should totally get her to join. That would be so cool.’ Then, the coaches had heard about her from teammates and me, and then they were curious to see if they could get her to join.”

Like her older sister, Lucy was a high school athlete (playing volleyball and track). Also, like her sister, she was new to rowing but eventually adjusted.

“It was definitely challenging at first, but doing it with a whole bunch of other girls who had never done it before was also encouraging because we were all learning at the same time,” Lucy Sandahl said. “So, I think it was weird in the beginning, but getting out on the water was definitely worth it all.”

Lucy quickly found herself on the rowing team. She praised the team culture for bringing the best out of everybody.

“We are very welcoming, but we’re also very tight-knit, so we definitely always have each other’s backs. We’re always pushing each other, always motivating each other. It’s my second home,” Lucy Sandahl said.

The highlight of the Sandahl sisters’ careers so far was being in the same boat at the 2023 National Collegiate Athletic Association National Championships. They held each end of the boat in the Varsity 4; Lucy was the coxswain, and Sophie was the bow.

Sophie stated that going to nationals was one of her favorite moments as a rower. That moment truly set in what she had accomplished. 

“It was very surreal to realize, like, ‘Holy cow! We’re going into this with very high expectations, having made it through selections for nationals and finishing out strongly at GNACs,’” Sophie Sandahl said. “Nationals was insane because we saw schools from DI, DII and DIII. It was like the whole world of rowing was all there.”

The Falcons finished third in the Division II rankings behind California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, and the University of Central Oklahoma.

As the 2023 season rolled to a close, Sophie graduated from SPU with a major in art history and a minor in museum studies. As she prepared to row her shell onshore, she found a new opportunity to keep the ride going and took assistant coach Oclander with her.

“I was struggling with leaving rowing because the team brought a lot to my life, like my coaching staff and teammates,” Sophie Sandahl said. “I voiced that, and then it was mentioned that there’d be an opportunity to coach locally because Matt Oclander had taken a full-time position at the Renton Rowing Center. I ended up interviewing, and now I coach there.”

Although Sophie eventually plans to attend graduate school and get a master’s degree, she loves her current job of building new athletes.

“To step back from being an athlete and now be the one to support other athletes has been an incredible experience,” Sophie Sandahl said. “Being able to also take a step back from the intensity of college and break it down for the middle schoolers that I coach … has been really nice, seeing them make steps and grow and gain confidence and independence.”

Lucy, who will graduate at the end of the 2024 school year with a degree in physiology, is now nearing a time when she might have to hang up the shell. However, rowing will stay with her on the next leg of her journey.

“As of right now, I have no plans. I will definitely be moving from Seattle,” Lucy Sandahl said. “Wherever I end up, if there’s any part of rowing, maybe I’ll see if I can get back into it. But if I go into a gym and there’s an erg machine, I’m sure I would do some rowing workouts.”

Rowing made a lasting impression on both Sandahl sisters, creating a home for them as they entered young adulthood.

“I’ve grown a lot because of the sport of rowing. And it’s not specifically the sport itself and its athleticism, but because of the people I’ve met and the experience I’ve gotten out of it,” Sophie Sandahl said. “My coaches helped me grow into the person I am today and gain the confidence that I have today. My teammates are my lifelong core group of friends.”