2016-17 — Appeared in seven competitions on the 1V8+ crew… finished 14th overall at the NCAA Championship on May 28 with a runner-up finish (6:38.04) in the C Final… won the C/D semifinal (6:24.52) at the NCAA Championship May 27… helped Iowa to a third-place finish (6:14.90) in the second heat and repechage (6:18.99) at the NCAA Championship May 26… placed fourth (6:16.53) at the Big Ten Championship on May 14… placed third (7:08.60) against Syracuse and Princeton on April 28… defeated Rutgers (7:02.20) in the morning session and finished runner-up (6:38.00) to Ohio State in the afternoon session of the Big Ten Double Dual on April 8… defeated Michigan State (6:30.06) in the morning session and Louisville (6:32.31) in the afternoon session of the Double Dual on April 1… won the first heat (6:11.51) against San Diego, Duke, and Oklahoma and placed runner-up (6:20.53) to Texas in the A Final at the Longhorn Invitational on March 25… helped Iowa to a 12th-place finish (17:34.06) at the Head of the Charles Regatta Oct. 22… selected as CRCA First Team All-Region Athlete.
2015-16 — Competed in six races with the 2V8+ crew… placed second (6:58.5) at the Big Ten/ACC Double Dual… Placed seconded in the morning (6:53.30), and afternoon (6:58.50) at the Big Ten Double Dual. Helped the 2V8+ crew finish second (6:45.73) at the Lake Natoma Invitational… helped the 2V8+ crew to first place finishes at the Big Ten/Big 12 Double Dual (7:00.743), and the Tennessee Invitational Conference Challenge (6:42.4)… helped 2V8+ crew finish fifth at the Big Ten Championships (6:40.558)… helped team to a fifth place finish at the Big Ten Championships (95 points)… letterwinner.
2014-15… Invited to the 2015 U.S. Women’s Under 23 National Team Selection Camp… tabbed her second consecutive first team All-Central Region honor… competed with the 2V8+ crew at the Head of the Des Moines, against Indiana and Kansas in the fall… competed with the 1V8+ crew at the Nordic Nine, the Big Ten Double Dual, the B1G/Big 12 Challenge, against Tennessee, and the Big Ten Championships… helped the 1V8+ crew top Big Ten foe Michigan State with a 4.4 second margin at the Big Ten Double Dual… helped the 1V8+ crew to a third place result (6:54.239) at the Big Ten Championships… earned a sixth place finish in the 1V8+ finals (7:15.131) at the Big Ten Championships… helped the team to a sixth place finish, the second highest scoring performance at the Big Ten Championships in program history, and the highest since 2003.
2013-14… 2014 Pocock All-America Second Team selection… CRCA First Team All-Central Region honoree… one of eight freshmen and one of 16 student-athletes invited to attend the 2014 USRowing Women’s Pre-Elite Camp, which grooms up-and-coming rowers for the national teams… began in the novice program in the fall and worked her way into the varsity ranks with the 1V8+ crew in her first season of rowing… helped the 1V8+ crew finish third (6:55.18) in the season opener at Clemson… placed second (7:02.40) and fifth (7:04.38) on day one and two, respectively, at the San Diego Crew Classic… finished fourth (6:54.00) at the home opener at Lake MacBride… placed seventh on day one (7:31.90) and sixth on day two (7:05.30) of the Clemson Invitational… ended the regular season with a first place finish over Tennessee by four seconds (6:47.50)… concluded the year with a seventh place result (6:53.982) at the Big Ten Championship at Eagle Creek Park.
Before Iowa… Four year member of high school’s basketball team… three-time team captain and MVP… team made All-State Final Four as a junior… named All-Conference as a junior… posted a triple-double with career best 20 points, 13 rebounds, and two assists as a senior… member of the Bolingbrook Panthers traveling team… also a two-year member of high school’s volleyball team… high school coach was David Owles.
Personal… Born April 18, 1995 in Aurora, Ill… daughter of Grant Grastorf and Ann Buonamici… father, Grant, played basketball at North Park University… cousin, Gary Cornish, was a member of the baseball team at Saint Mary’s College of California… elementary education major.
Why Iowa… I chose to attend the University of Iowa because from the moment I stepped on campus, I could tell it was a perfect fit. The campus is right in the heart of the town, which is a lot like my hometown so it has that homey feel. It offers the major I was looking for and it just so happens to one of the top in the country for the teaching program. Plus, everyone here is so friendly and inviting. And who doesn’t love a Big Ten school?
My favorite aspect of rowing is… My favorite aspect of rowing is the fact that it’s a physically and mentally challenging sport but at the same time beyond rewarding.
What made you want to become a rower… I got contacted through a recruiting profile to come and try a rowing clinic. From the moment I got in the boat for the first time, I knew this was the sport for me and I haven’t looked back since.