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The University of North Georgia (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) rowing team closed out the spring semester with strong finishes at the American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRA) national championship in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Â鶹ÊÓƵ took seventh place overall in Women's 2 at ACRA and 12th place overall in Men's 2.

Peyton Tharp, a senior from Loganville, Georgia, pursuing a degree in kinesiology with a health and fitness concentration, appreciated how the team prepared for ACRA and then seized the moment. For Tharp, the rowing team has been one of the constants of her Â鶹ÊÓƵ journey after joining the team as a freshman.

"The team has given me so much stability through college because I have a community behind me," Tharp said.

Dean Harrison Schuth, assistant coach, said he appreciated the ambition of the team. Even more important, though, was the camaraderie.

"This group made the team feel more like a family. They made an effort to bond with each other and the coaching staff," Schuth said. "That's something that will carry us through in the future and help us to replicate that success."

Tharp's experience was so instrumental that it changed her desired career path. She now plans to earn a nursing degree so she can be a coach and a registered nurse. She won't forget the way the team has impacted her.

"It always gives you people to lean on, and you create such deep trust because of that," Tharp said. "I definitely didn't think it would be my thing. I've fallen in love with it, and it's changed my life for the better."