Bay City, Michigan is a city of about 30,000 people tucked away in the northeast part of the state. Despite the national prowess of Texas Rowing, a state on the northern border is an unlikely place to find rowing diamonds. However, Anna Jensen, a senior P/S and two time NCAA rowing champion, has used her upbringing as an asset, becoming one of the team’s largest contributors over the past four years and a leader going into this year’s racing season.
Jensen started her rowing career at the Bay City Rowing Club. But rowing was not her first love. Jensen was a youth track star, running a 4:50 minute mile as a freshman in high school and finishing third in the state.
In general, she describes herself as “super competitive,” making her especially successful in endurance sports, where the mental aspect is often as important as the physical. As Jensen was exposed to rowing, she recognized that the sport gave her the ability to feed her love of endurance sports in a team setting.
“I love to race other people,” Jensen said in an interview summarizing her love for the sport. “But in rowing you get to race with other people and put trust in your teammates.”
Jensen also grew up in the water. Her mother was a Division I swimmer at Purdue University. Although acknowledging that she has tried swimming, as a rower she has realized that she enjoys being on the water more than in it.
Her love of being on the water has translated to immense success at Texas. She was a contributor on the first eight during the Texas 2021 National Championship run as a freshman. Despite her eventual contribution to the team, she was not always completely sure of herself.
“Texas Rowing has completely changed my life for the better,” Jensen said. “(And has allowed me to) achieve stuff you can’t possibly achieve.”
Jensen attributes a lot of her achievements to Coach Dave O’Neill, who instilled the mentality and toughness that has made her successful. His coaching style allowed Jensen to realize her potential early and has allowed her to develop into a two-time First Team All-American in her sophomore and junior year.
Going into her senior year, Jensen hopes to continue her success and recapture the championship spirit that defined the team in their national championship years. In her later years, she has also started to reflect on her time at Texas.
“At Texas, the goal is the top,” Jensen said. “If you’re not a cohesive team, you’re going to fall short of your goals.”
For Jensen, beyond the race times and placements, the ability to connect with her team has made her college rowing experience rewarding. Whether it is watching the progression and success of her and her teammates or competing with the same core group of teammates, Anna is ready for “one more ride.”
As she makes the most out of her last collegiate season, she has realized that her experience at UT has gone beyond the confines of the water.
“Being part of the team, there is always something bigger than yourself,” Jensen said. “The most rewarding thing is being part of that. How to be a better teammate and get the most out of others. At the end of the day … it’s so much more rewarding to find a group of people and purpose bigger than yourself.”
