Sage Purkey Class: Freshman Hometown: Davis, Calif. High School: Davis HS Height / Weight: 5-9 / 150

California: 2012 (Freshman): Rowed on Cal's freshman eight that won a Pac-12 Championship and beat Stanford and Washington.

Personal: Rowed for the River City Rowing Club where she was the team captain from 2009-10 and won the Novice Award in 2009 ... competed in youth nationals in the four in 2010 and 2011 ... parents are David and Dawn Purkey ... has one sister ... undeclared major.

The best part about being on Cal crew is: The team. Everyone is so focused and driven and everyone pushes one another on a daily basis to make themselves and the team better.

I chose Cal because: There was no other school that I could challenge myself both athletically and academically in such a perfect location. The prestige of both the university and the team; everyone around you is always working hard and dedicated to what they're doing.