Blair Puleo

Position:
Varsity
Height:
5-10
Class:
Sophomore
Hometown:
Pinehurst, N.C.
High School:
The O'Neal School

Majoring in psychology ... Selected as Miss Moore County 2011 ... Founder and organizer of Helping Hands, a student tutoring program ... Member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority ... Active in community service and in Carolina Leadership Academy

Rowing at UNC: Started 2010-11 on the novice squad and was moved up to varsity at the beginning of the spring season

Before UNC: At the O'Neal School, lettered in track and field, cross country and swimming, captaining all three sports ... Earned six varsity letters in each sport ... In cross country, was all-state and Conference Runner of the Year ... Helped her team to a conference title and received the Coach's Award ... In swimming, was all-state and all-conference and helped her team to a conference title ... In track and field, earned all-state honors and helped her team to a state championship ... Her school's Female Athlete of the Year as a senior ... Also a principal dancer at Terpsichore Dance Company ... Member of Cum Laude Society and National Honor Society ...

More on Puleo: Born June 3, 1992, in Pinehurst, N.C. ... Daughter of Joel and Ellen Puleo ... Both of her parents are Duke graduates, including undergraduate and medical school ... Has five siblings: Ashley (31), Justin (29), Preston (22), Laura (21) and Austin (16) ... Her father is Duke's only three-time ACC champion in wrestling ... Her grandfather, Joseph Puleo, rowed at Rutgers ... Her sister Ashley played volleyball and was on the track & field team at Emory ... Her brother Justin rowed at Harvard and Oxford ... Her brother Preston rowed at Cornell ... Favorite pastime is running ... Favorite sport other than rowing is dance ... Fun fact is that she has donated over 25 inches of her hair to The Children With Hairloss Foundation ... Pet peeve is people who chew with their mouth open ... Athlete she most admires is swimmer Natalie Coughlin ... After graduating from UNC, hopes to attend UNC's School of Dentistry ... Dream job is to be a professional ice skater ... Little-known talent is doing 32 fouettes in a row

Puleo on rowing at UNC: "Rowing at Carolina has truly been one of the best experiences of my life. I have learned to love a new sport that pushes my physical and mental strength to the limit with every stroke. I will never forget the supportive and loving ambiance that the coaches and fellow teammates provide at Carolina."