Sophia Luwis joined the Virginia rowing program as an assistant coach in August of 2025. Luwis arrived on Grounds after serving as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator with the Stanford lightweight women’s rowing team in 2024-25.
In her inaugural season at UVA, Luwis helped the Cavaliers to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championship and runner-up showing at the ACC Championship.
A native of McLean, Va., Luwis was a standout club rower at the College of William & Mary from 2016-20. She earned her first U.S. National Team spot in 2022, competing in the lightweight women’s quad. After surviving a devastating car accident that left her with serious injuries, Luwis made a remarkable return to racing in 2023, securing multiple podium finishes on the international stage. Her inspiring comeback culminated in a spot on the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team as a lightweight spare.
Prior to Stanford, Luwis served as a youth administrative coordinator at Whitemarsh Boat Club (Pa.) from 2023-24 and was an assistant coach for the Lower Merion Crew in Conshohocken, Pa., in 2023.
Luwis graduated from William & Mary in 2020 with a degree in linguistics, before earning a master’s degree in sports industry management from Georgetown in 2022.