Matthew Donahue '20 Recruiting Profile

          My goals for college is to further my education and to be the best I can. I want to train the hardest I ever have and push myself to the limit, as these are my golden years and won’t have much opportunity to later in life. I believe I am a good candidate to swim in college because I am very determined and have immeasurable potential. Last swim season was my second year ever swimming competitively and I made the varsity team and broke a school record. This was with one semester of training and no after school club practice. My times are fast and will continue to get faster my senior year as I further my abilities by joining a club team and lifting weights. By swimming in college I will have much more time in the pool and therefore will continue to get faster.  My potential isn’t even close to reached and I won’t stop till I reach it. 

          When on a swim team it is often hard to find a leader to guide everyone throughout a meet. I try my best to get everyone mentally ready before the meet with a chat that motivates them to swim to the best of their abilities. Without a leader figure, teams often crumble under tough situations as they have no one to look to for positive messages and feedback. 

          What is unique about me and my athletic abilities is how I am faster than people who have been swimming their entire lives, with only a few total months of training. If I’m already faster with little training, imagine what I can do with training year round or with a club team plus lifting weights on the side. I know that this year there will be a significant change in my times as I will be getting more training and will become stronger. 

          Though I work hard in the pool, I work hard in the classroom as well. In the classroom I pay attention, do my work, respect the teacher, and ask questions frequently. There are many things that I don’t understand at first but then are cleared up when I ask for extra explanation or an example. I also like to build relationships with my teachers because it makes class more fun. I personally learn much more when I am having fun and excited about what the teacher is talking about. I also try to challenge myself in different classes because since as long as I can remember, school came pretty easy to me. I have a weird drive to be perfect in my classes. I hate turning things in late so I make sure it never happens and I always do my work early to prevent stress later on.

          I believe I am a great student athlete that colleges would want because I have untapped potential that I desire to use and also because I will perform in the classroom consistently.