Getting to Know Senior Annie Cantu

Name

Annie Cantu

Hometown

Plano, Texas

What is something unique about your hometown?

Plano is very big, my graduating high school class had 1,400 students in it and my high school was one of three public high schools in Plano.

Sports I participated in growing up besides track and field:

I played soccer, softball and volleyball. In seventh grade I was playing recreational volleyball when my friends mom approached my mom about Rowing. I decided to give it a try and have been doing it ever since.

My favorite sport to watch:

Football

My favorite rowing memory (either at MSU, high school, etc.)

Honestly, there are way too many to choose only one.

What was your favorite subject when you were growing up?

Science

What is your major at MSU? How did you choose it?

My major is psychology, I have changed my major five times throughout my four years here at MSU and psychology was the only major that fit my personality and the goals I have in life the best.

Do you have a nickname? How'd you get it?

My family calls me "Annie Lu" or just "Lu." When I was born, I apparently had a lizard tongue, so they started calling me "Lizzie" which somehow turned into "Lu" and to this day they continue to call me by that name.

Who has been the most important or influential person in your life? What can you tell me about him or her?

Both of my parents are the most important people in my life. I can't just choose one because they both equally love me and have supported through every decision I've made in my life. My parents have made me into the person I am today.

What was your favorite trip during your rowing career?

Our race in North Carolina last year, we had a great performance and the location was beautiful.

If you had to create a 10-song Spotify playlist to get you through the rest of the school year, what's on it?

Rowing Graphic

If you had one person in your life to spend a week with on an all-expenses paid vacation, who would it be? Where would you go?

I would travel with my teammate Jen, we went on a study abroad to Australia and New Zealand with a few teammates last summer and it was a blast. I found we had similar interested when exploring new places and I would do it again in a heartbeat. If we had this opportunity I would go somewhere in the mountains like Washington or Wyoming and hike and camp in the mountains and just experience all the beautiful nature.

Your teammates are inspirational people in their own right. Tell me about a teammate (current or former) that has inspired you? What obstacles did that person overcome, or what accomplishments make you look up to that person?

I would again have to choose my teammate and roommate Jen. Last fall I had shoulder surgery and she was the one who got me through most of the recovery process at home and encouraged me throughout transitioning back to the team in the spring. Encouraging me to keep pushing when I thought I couldn't anymore and making sure I was aware of my limits, without that I don't think I would have returned as soon as I did. Not only is she an amazing coxswain who pushes, encourages, and demands the best out of everyone no matter what boat she's in, she is a truly great friend and an even better teammate.

Players Mentioned

Annie Cantu

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