Nicholas Sarno '24 Recruiting Profile

My name is Nicholas Sarno. I am going into my Senior year and I'm a rower at Holy Spirit High School in Absecon, NJ and an honor roll student and lifeguard for Brigantine City Beach Patrol.  Rowing started for me my freshmen year during the spring season of 2021. Our team mainly sculls, but I have competed in all boat styles and size.  This was a great past season for me, I was stroke in a lightweight double where we took the Bronze at SRAA Nationals 2023, we took Gold at County, City and State championship's 2023 and medaled in every single race this past spring season with the exception of Stotesbury where we placed 5th in the finals, not our best race. I placed 15th in the nation in a single at Youth Nationals in Sarasota 2022.  I also placed 9th at Head of the Hooch in 2021 but rowed up in my age group because my age group had already capped out. I had just turned 15 but rowed 17U and my time beat the first-place winner of that event had I rowed in my own age group. Don't let my size fool you, although I 5'9" I'm very strong and fast on the water and compete with kids who have inches above me and up to 80lbs on me. I am one of the top rowers on my team, we were named Boat of the year by the Atlantic City Press 2023, I was just named captain and I'm well respected by my coaches and teammates and community for my leadership qualities, the desire to push my limits, winning races and my willingness to follow my coach's direction, when it comes to technique and pace.  My main goal this year is to concentrate on my erg times and winning additional medal races. I am working hard to pull better splits and I will for sure! I am training for another erg event this fall and I am very confident my number will go down drastically.  Due to covid, our team has only done one erg event which was just last January 2023 in Atlantic City, NJ however, I am an excellent rower when it comes the boat and water. I would love to be able to continue with Crew in college and beyond.  This sport has given me so much back.  For me, crew is so much more than winning medals, it has disciplined me in all aspects of my life, it's given me confidence in myself, time management skills, surpassing goals, significant body changes, admiration and respect for my coaching staff and my teammates and the willingness daily to commit many hours of practice time to excel at this amazing sport. Being part of a crew team, I get it's not just all about me, it's about our team as one unit, supporting each other, pushing ourselves and respecting each other and our coaching staff.  I know wherever I go in life, I will always have my crew family and I will continue this sport for many years to come.  I am looking forward to the recruitment process, visiting colleges and crew teams and finding the best college fit for me and the sport I love. I would love the opportunity to show you what I have to offer.  I can't wait to compete at the collegiate level.