Carleigh Templin on shore at American lake

Anneliese Anderson-Caffee

A Lifelong Lute, Templin Makes One Final Trip to NCAAs

By Mark Albanese, Director of Sports Communication

Carleigh Templin literally grew up surrounded by black and gold. A fifth-year on the Pacific Lutheran University women’s rowing team, the lifelong Lute will cap off a stellar career on the water this weekend, competing at the NCAA Division III Championships for the third time in five years.

The studio arts major has been around PLU her entire life. Now serving as team captain for the Lutes, Templin provides a wealth of experience to a youthful squad as the only member of the team to have raced at the national regatta.

Templin’s first taste of the NCAA Championships was back in 2021, helping the team win a Northwest Conference title while rowing in the second varsity eight boat that placed sixth at the NCAA Championships in Sarasota, Florida. The following season Templin was in the varsity eight boat, winning a conference title and claiming the petite final at the NCAA Championships, powering PLU to a seventh place showing in the team standings.

My favorite memory was as a first-year at nationals. I was obviously really young and had only been on the team for a little bit but it was a crazy experience. All the teams we were racing against were so fast and it was so cool to see D1 and D2 schools also there and the best rowing in the country. I think that’s what got me hooked on the sport. We got so much closer as a team over that trip and I was like ‘I really love doing this,’

Carleigh Templin

After a two-year drought Templin is happy to be back on the national stage after a five-year career that has seen the program have four different head coaches.

It’s really exciting to go to nationals after having gone as a freshman and sophomore and then not having been since then. We’ve been trying really hard every season and this season our hard work paid off and we’re finally going back.

It’s a level of competition that we don’t really get from the other regattas we go to. It’s super cool and I’m excited for the team because we have a pretty young team and I’m excited for them to experience the really high level of racing.

As the savvy veteran making a third trip to the national regatta, Templin is excited to share the experience with her teammates.

“I’m super excited for the rest of the team to get to experience this. My advice for them would just be enjoy the ride, it’s going to be a lot, it’s way more high pressure than the races we normally do, but it’s a crazy, cool experience that you can’t take for granted because we haven’t been there in a while.”

A lot has changed for Templin over the five seasons on the water, experiencing four different head coaches during that stretch. A lot has changed, but for the senior, the attitude and work ethic of the team has been a constant throughout the years.

“Having four coaches over five years has been a journey for me. Not a lot of things have stayed constant but I think that’s okay, it’s been cool to see what each new coach brings to the role.

I think the biggest thing that has stayed constant has been the attitude of the team. Everyone shows up to practice every day willing to get out there and do hard work.”

Templin’s decision to attend PLU was an easy one, having been around the University their entire life.

“I started college during the pandemic and I wanted to go somewhere where I felt comfortable and familiar, and it was also nice it’s close to home for me.”

Templin’s Dad— Dave— played for legendary football coach Frosty Westering from 1981 to 1985. As a defensive back he was a two-time “Oil Can Award” winner and was named Co-Most Inspirational Player. Templin continued to be involved with PLU after graduation, serving as professor and as an assistant coach for both the football and volleyball programs.

“I kind of grew up around PLU because my Dad went here, he taught here, and coached here. It’s been really cool to experience it as a college athlete after having seen it behind the scenes for so many years (when my Dad was a coach). When I was little I used to go to the training room and get little cups of ice. So it’s just been super cool to come back and go to the training room now as an athlete."

Not only was Templin’s Dad an influence on the decision to attend PLU, he also proved to be a big driver in going out for the rowing team.

“My Dad actually made me try rowing for the first time the summer before I started college. He wanted to join a rowing club by our house, so we got out in a double and figured out how to row. And then later he was like ‘you should email the rowing coach.” So I emailed Andy Foltz and ended up loving it and sticking with it.”

While the Tacoma native’s Dad may have played a role in coming to PLU and getting involved in rowing, it’s Templin’s teammates that keep her coming back day after day to the sport she loves.

“My teammates are what keep me coming back day in and day out. Through my whole time at PLU my teammates have loved and supported me and they’re some of my best friends, even the people who have graduated. We’re all really close and I know if there’s a day I’m sitting in my bed at 5 a.m. and I’m like ‘I really don’t want to get up right now,’ I know my teammates are going to call me and get me out of bed. They’re just so supportive and that’s the reason I do it.”

Templin and the Lutes are having a banner season, finishing as the top team in the Pacific Region while twice earning NWC Crew of the Week accolades as a member of the varsity eight boat.

The Lutes begin the NCAA Division III Championships tomorrow morning, racing at 8:12 a.m. (Eastern Time) on Lake Mercer in West Windsor, New Jersey.