RESILIENCE. PASSION. THE PURSUIT OF PERFECTION.
SWC Senior Reflection — Lily Moore, ‘25
In trying to choose a driving word for the focus of this piece, one that captures the spirit of the Stanford Women’s Rowing Class of 2025, I fell short. I listed nearly a dozen words and phrases that felt important and relevant to our program, our class, and our people. I barely narrowed it to these three. So, while I discuss these words and the story of our class, bear in mind that these are merely the parts that made the cut. These words exclude some of the in-between moments, little pieces of ourselves that we have given to this team, moments which we hope are etched permanently into its rich historical fabric.
Resilience. We started as a class of sixteen. By sophomore year, we were down to ten, and now we are graduating as twelve. Drawing in new competitors and fierce learners, we leaned on each other to get through the difficult moments. While it seems long in the past, we came to campus with half our faces hidden by masks, tested twice a week to even be able to compete on the water. Two weeks before our first Pac-12 championship as freshman, we paused practice due to a critical outbreak of COVID on the team. And yet, we won the conference. For the first time since 2014, Stanford Women’s Crew hoisted the Pac-12 banner. When faced with the departure of teammates in our grade, with the uncertainty of a virus and our ability to practice, the Class of 2025 grew closer, relying on each other’s steady presence and patience to be the rising tide that lifted all boats. We came runner-up at the NCAA National Championship two years in a row: freshman year and junior year. The heartbreak fueled us. Our resilience carried us. Each of the following years — sophomore and senior — ended with a ring, an NCAA National Championship title. The class of 2025 will leave a legacy of perseverance, of resilience, of the ability to be fueled by our failures, rather than defeated by them. That, I believe, is one of our greatest gifts.
Passion. Of the twelve graduating seniors, six have competed on the world stage for their respective countries, bringing home several World Championship wins and a host of more medals. This is a class that has devoted themselves to the sport of rowing and has achieved the pinnacle of international excellence in its pursuit. However, I believe the true passion that defines the Class of 2025 is the passion we have for this team and these teammates. Few are prouder to call themselves members of Stanford Women’s Crew than these twelve girls, and all of us have devoted ourselves to crafting, developing, and cultivating its culture of excellence, passion, and fun. From reviving and carrying on existing team traditions to creating a slew of new ones, 2025 helped solidify Stanford Women’s Crew as more than just a team. It is a family. And rowing for Conference and National Championships, knowing you are pulling for 44 of your sisters, just means more. I think I can speak for our class in saying that if you asked any of those six individuals who competed for their country what their favorite memory of rowing is, it would not be a gold medal and hearing their country’s anthem with the flag on their chest. It would be laughing about the warmup music, hitting a personal record in Arillaga Hall, walking to lift early to sit and stretch, and having a snack. It would be crossing the finish line in first with the S on our chest. Falling into the girl in front of you or behind you, knowing that they gave everything they had.
The Pursuit of Perfection. Perfection in athletics is impossible. Persistent effort to achieve it, however, is Stanford’s class of 2025. We leave this program as the winningest class in history. Four conference titles. Two national titles. Two national runner-up titles. As a class not very fond of pointing out our accomplishments, I hesitated to even write this section. But these accolades are almost essential to our story. Not because we won, but because we continued to pursue goals that seemed so far out of reach and yet ended with the goalposts being moved. Let’s go back-to-back. Let’s sweep the Pac-12. Let’s enter the ACC and win it — no, let’s sweep that, too. And while we remember the sting of the two-runner-up titles, I remember what Coach Derek said to us after the 2023—2024 NCAA Championship finals: “What a privilege it is to be upset about a result like this.” At an institution obsessed with academic and athletic excellence, Stanford Women’s Rowing — and the class of 2025 — has completely redefined the term.
While our results speak for themselves, the resilience, passion, and pursuit of perfection are the greatest gifts we could ever have given this team. To the classes below and above us: thank you for shaping our story. Thank you for buying into 2025’s Stanford Rhythm. We are forever grateful.
To my class of 2025, to whom I do not have much more to say. For me, our story is just beginning. I cannot wait to see what we all do next.
