Florida State University Athletics
Florida State Athletics Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2003
Lori Sarah Sowell grew up in South Florida with her mother, Sigrid, and sister, Colette. After the passing of her father, Howard, when she was just three months old, the three Sowell girls took to heart that the family that plays together stays together. Her mother believed that both girls should have a versatile training in a lot of different areas while growing up, but what stuck for Lori was the sport of tennis. By age seven, Sowell had won her first tournament trophy and by 14 her first national championship. She was continuously ranked in the top five in the state junior rankings and the top 40 nationally.
While a student at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Sowell earned All-America honors, two individual state championships, three consecutive doubles titles and led her team to a state championship. She played on a Florida team that won the Girls 18's Intersectional Championship that was coached by former FSU women's tennis coach Alice Reen. Reen began to heavily recruit Sowell to come to Florida State and she decided to head to Tallahassee.
Sowell's impact at FSU was immediate. She played at the No. 2 singles position and while compiling an overall record of 24-9, she was voted All-ACC and ACC Rookie of the Year in her first season. She was named to the All-ACC academic team and became a two-time All-American. She advanced to the quarterfinals of the 1995 NCAA singles championship, which was the furthest any Lady Seminole had ever advanced. During her career, Sowell maintained a national ranking, was a four-time All-ACC selection and took the singles title at the Lady Seminole Classic.
Lori returned to Ft. Lauderdale after graduation and currently works as a tennis pro while pursing a degree in nursing
