Gabriella Sherman '25 Recruiting Profile

I am Ella Sherman, a 16 year old living in Philadelphia with two younger brothers (age 10 and 12) and my parents. I have swum since the age of 6 years old out of my parents’ interest to teach me not to drown. This quickly blossomed into a love for the sport, going from a casual local team to a club team by fourth grade and continuing my work for the years that followed. My goals for college include academic and athletic ambitions, that is to feed my mathematic/scientific curiosity, and to swim fast for whichever team I land on. 

Through my time as a swimmer, I have developed a broad skillset regarding what it means to have consistency, to work hard, to persevere, to manage my time, to be competitive, to be a leader, and to build community. This skillset came in handy during the early stages of the pandemic that led me and the majority of my team to be out of the pool for months on hand. I had to find new ways to stay in shape and ensure a smooth transition back to the pool. I organized team dryland sessions via zoom calls, I kept up endurance with my short-lived running career, and I even set off on long sets in a 10-yard pool. I strongly believe that skills such as these also led me to excel in endeavors outside of the pool, translating to my academic success. Swimming taught me to push myself to the point where I now seek hard work, whether it’s arguing for the harder set at practice, or taking up optional work in the classroom.