Wawasee High School senior Liz Hardy will continue her academic and rowing career at Indiana University. Seated with Liz are parents Angel and Keith Hardy. In the back row are WHS volleyball head coach Kayla Riportella, WHS girls track head coach Scott Lancaster, former WHS volleyball head coach Jeff Phillips, WHS athletic director Cory Schutz, WHS assistant principal Steve Perek and WHS principal Kim Nguyen. (Photo by Mike Deak)

SYRACUSE – It’s going to be an interesting few months ahead for Wawasee High School senior Liz Hardy. The dual sport star is preparing to venture into the collegiate world of athletics, and it’s in a sport she has never played. Ever.

Hardy, who is currently on the Wawasee track team and has played varsity volleyball, is signing a letter of intent to join the rowing team at Indiana University. Her foray into the rowing world is certainly an interesting one.

Hardy initially investigated her college athletics hopes as a volleyballer, looking to get recruited her junior and senior seasons in hopes of someone taking an interest in her game. A recruiting website created a bite for Hardy, but it wasn’t for volleyball but from the Indiana rowing program, who liked her size and physical prowess. Hardy, a 5-10 middle blocker for the Wawasee volleyball program, began to consider the rowing option, and combining the chance to pursue her education at one of the top business schools in the country, the pairing became more of a reality.

“It was a very random experience,” began Hardy at her signing Monday afternoon at WHS. “I just put my name in on a recruiting website for volleyball, and only had my volleyball stats and that was it. I got an email that I had been viewed, and it said Indiana rowing. I thought, ‘this is very interesting.’ I ended up getting an email from the coach saying they were interested and I had height and weight similar to what a rower would be. I said this could be interesting, and it’s helped me get my grades up and SAT scores to be where they needed to be to get in the school.”

Already in a unique scenario given rowing isn’t a high school sport, or even a regional club sport, Hardy has zero experience in crew. Well, the senior shared, she did try it. Once.

“I grew up on a lake most of my life, but I’ve never had to row a boat, ever,” Hardy said with a grin. Her family currently lives on Tippecanoe Lake, where the story begins, “I rowed a little tin boat across (Tippecanoe Lake) and by the time we got to the other side, it was two hours later and we figured out how to put gas in the motor and we drove back home.”

To be fair, Hardy noted the day was very windy, and it was a new venture. But the distance was not rowing from the southern basin of Little Tippy all the way to James Lake. It was more of, say, the edge of the deep part to the other edge of the deep part. As Hardy put it, with a laugh, “very rough waters! A tough day.”

Looking to gain a degree in business with a focus on entrepreneurship and corporate innovation, Hardy feels that even if the rowing thing doesn’t work out, her education will still be there. A 3.2 GPA carrier, ranked 65th in her graduating class and a member of DECA, Hardy feels the challenges in Bloomington will keep her on track. She noted a scholarship could potentially kick in if her freshman year goes well on the water.

Indiana University rowing is led by head coach Steve Peterson and assisted by Amanda Perry, who served as the recruiting coordinator who got in touch with Hardy. The Hoosiers have 57 rowers, both novice and varsity, on the official roster to which only 24 are from Indiana, and only five are from the northern third of the state. Indiana University rowing is based on Lake Lemon, which is northeast of campus.

On the education side of her decision, Hardy adds, “I believe Indiana has one of the best business schools in the country, and I believe they will give me the best education for my field of study.”