Rower Jasmine Dennis leaves a legacy in her wake

On a spring afternoon, the North Carolina women’s rowing team finds refuge from the hot sun not in an air-conditioned building but about four miles from campus at University Lake.

Jasmine Dennis is one of those rowers. She takes her place in a boat with eight of her teammates on the cool, still water. Just before receiving a signal to begin turning her oars in the water, disrupting the calm of the lake, Dennis sits motionless in the middle position of “The Legacy” — a fitting name for the boat the senior rower frequently races in.

With nearly a month left in her final season, Dennis will ultimately leave behind both the boat and the legacy of her own storied rowing career, which, unlike that of many UNC varsity athletes, began without any recruitment letters.

A letter-winner in lacrosse, cross country and track, Dennis was not steered toward rowing at Providence High School in Charlotte, and had no prior experience with the sport before attending UNC.

But after seeing many of her friends return from college as rowers, she knew it was a sport she wanted to try.

“When I was in high school, I had some older people I looked up to who did it and I really wanted to be where they were,” Dennis said. “They’d get back and were in shape after their freshman years in college.

“So I came here and decided to do it.”

False starts and first impressions

Looking to walk on to the UNC women’s rowing team as a freshman, Dennis sent an email to express her interest in trying out. But the wrong person was on the receiving end of the message — the coach of the men’s club team.

After being pointed in the right direction, Dennis tried out and made the novice team — a modest feat compared to what the then-inexperienced rower would soon accomplish as a freshman.

Upon first meeting her, varsity coach Sarah Haney said she was immediately compelled by Dennis’ physical stature and athleticism, but questioned whether the two would translate into success on the water.

“She’s got the build, so you are always hopeful, but that doesn’t really mean anything,” Haney said. “The actual technique of rowing is not that difficult. It’s the self-motivation and self-discipline, which are nice to see come with a rower’s physical build.

“You’re always optimistic and keep your fingers crossed, but you never know what’s going to happen.”

An early jump

In her freshman year, Dennis posted the fastest time on a rowing machine as a novice rower — warranting special consideration from Haney.

In order for Haney to evaluate whether or not the freshman could compete at a higher level, Dennis was moved up to the varsity team early, where she would remain for the rest her career at UNC.

During her junior year, Dennis again earned the distinction as the fastest rower — this time on the varsity team. That put her in an exclusive club of rowers who have earned the award on both squads. She was also named the Most Valuable Rower following the 2011-12 season.

Haney said Dennis, who competed in the four-person varsity boat for nearly two years before claiming a spot in UNC’s top eight-person boat, immediately performed beyond her years of experience.

And though Haney has coached at UNC for 11 years, she said that Dennis is unlike any other walk-on she’s coached.

“We’ve definitely had success finding walk-ons — there’s no doubt about that,” Haney said. “But to have a walk-on have as much success as Jasmine is pretty rare.”

A lasting legacy

Though in its final season, Dennis’ career will affect the team’s speed for years to come.

“She’s not only had an impact on the team’s current speed, but there are athletes coming behind her who are going to try to emulate her,” Haney said.

“She’s made the program faster in that way, too.”

But Dennis isn’t focused on the accolades. In fact, she said she wished she would have worked harder just to show her younger teammates that there aren’t any limits.

Nearly four years removed from hitting the water for the first time, the senior said rowing has become a major part of her identity.

“Rowing at Carolina has determined who I am,” she said. “And a lot of my personality has really developed from being around my teammates.”

When Dennis hits the dock for the last time, she’ll shelve a lasting individual legacy as a walk-on who emerged as one of the team’s best rowers. But in order to leave behind “The Legacy,” she must return it to the boathouse — a task that she can only complete with the help of her teammates.

Contact the desk editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.