In a significant milestone in her athletic and academic journey, Dinah Pastoor, ‘25, recently announced her verbal commitment to Syracuse University for Division 1 (D1) rowing. With her sights set on both the water and the classroom, Pastoor is ready to make waves as she embarks on this new exciting chapter.
Rowing became an unexpected hobby for Pastoor after a friend introduced her to the sport. What began as a fun activity quickly became a huge part of her life throughout high school. She enjoyed being outside and in the water.
“I said I’d give it a shot and go like a couple days a week, and then I ended up going every single day,” Pastoor said.
Rowing has given Pastoor new opportunities due to the extensive travel for regattas, which are competitive boat races. Pastoor has been able to travel to Tennessee, Florida, Canada, California, and next season she will be going to New York to compete. The travel has led her to occasionally miss school, but Pastoor views it as a positive trade-off.
“At first I was like, ‘Oh, I’m missing a lot of things’, but then I [realized I] would rather be rowing, doing this and getting better than [being at] other places,” Pastoor said.
Pastoor describes rowing as a sport that can vary each day, with some practices being challenging and others rewarding. Although it is a difficult sport, she believes that finding enjoyment is key. Teamwork and communication are essential to success, especially since she often rows with a team of eight to nine people in a boat.
“You have to row together in order to go fast and that all comes from trusting each other and flowing together,” Pastoor said.
As her high school years draw to a close, Pastoor is excited to start a new chapter in her life. She knew that she wanted to continue with rowing and found the perfect opportunity at Syracuse.
It all began when she got into contact with one of the rowing coaches at Syracuse last November. Since then, they have stayed in touch and the coach invited Pastoor to tour the college. During her tour, Pastoor immediately fell in love with the campus.
“I went on a visit there and just felt really at home, and it was really beautiful and everyone was very welcoming,” Pastoor said.
Pastoor hopes to study psychology and pursue a job in that field. However, she is not worried about balancing her academics and her athletics because Syracuse is known for acknowledging the pressure placed on student athletes with available services such as free tutoring.
“I’m really excited to do [D1 rowing]. I love the aspect of competing in rowing and winning, and so I’m excited to have a different sort of competition,” Pastoor said. “College rowing is a little bit different from high school, but I think it’s going to be really fun.”
Beyond competition, Pastoor views this next phase as a chance to boost her physical endurance and gain more experience. She’s also eager to meet new people and explore Syacuse’s rowing facilities.
“I’m looking forward to the new location, [seeing] if they [Syracuse] are on either a lake or river and just meeting new people; a lot of people are international on the team, and having a group of people I can hang out with,” Pastoor said.