After dancing for 13 years, UT alumna Kaitlin Knifton decided to give rowing a try in her sophomore year of high school.
With her father owning the Texas Rowing Center in Austin and having rowed on the UT club team, Knifton was not new to the rowing world.
“I definitely grew up around rowing a lot, but I never was super interested in trying it myself,” Knifton said. “I always thought rowing was so different from dance.”
When she decided to give rowing a chance, everything changed. The community she had always observed from a distance quickly became a family, giving her a sense of belonging.
“It felt like a community that I was super familiar with,” Knifton said. “It was really great, because I already was close with the people there and it made it even more special.”
Knifton’s high school career took off when she joined the U-19 women’s national team. She finished ninth in the pair at the 2017 World Rowing Junior Championships, 10th in the pair at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, third in the coxed four at the 2018 World Rowing Junior Championships and placed second in the coxless pair at the 2018 U.S. Rowing Youth National Championships.
Knifton’s rowing career steadily progressed into college when she advanced to the U-23 women’s national team in 2022 while rowing for Texas.
“It was awesome,” Knifton said. “I think that there’s, (and) I’m definitely biased, nothing like it. And no other rowing community (is) like it because Texas invests so much in its sports.”
Throughout her time at Texas, she became a four-time Big 12 champion, three-time first-team All-American and helped the Longhorns secure two NCAA National Championships.
But her journey did have setbacks. During her senior year, Knifton herniated several discs in her back, causing severe leg nerve pain, which ultimately required surgery.
“I think that was definitely a moment where I didn’t really know if I’d be able to continue rowing,” Knifton said. “I had a lot of doubts of how the surgery was going to go and what the outcome would be.”
The Texas rowing community she had built became essential to her recovery, both mentally and physically. She attended practices regularly and leaned on her family and friends for support.
“I had a lot of people around — my teammates, my roommates were amazing during the time,” Knifton said. “Seeing everyone work really hard and be so supportive, it reminded me of what I was working for and what I had to return to.”
Knifton now competes on the U.S. national team, traveling frequently for competitions.
Despite her demanding lifestyle, Knifton has found a way to give back to the sport that helped shape her. After a successful clothing collaboration with Crew Dog, she used the proceeds to establish a scholarship for young rowers.
“Joining rowing was the best thing that I ever did,” Knifton said. “It gave me a really great community of people that I feel like will be there for me for the rest of my life. … So I would definitely encourage anyone that’s looking for a sport or a community like that to give it a try.”
