Nzinga Harrison '24 Recruiting Profile

Swimming has been my passion since the day I first hit the water. My dad, who was a collegiate level swimmer, had me in the water since before I can even remember; hence some of my earliest memories are at our local YMCA in my diapers. I began competing when I was 4, and right from the start I started winning. I was a natural born swimmer and I often walked away from my races  with blue ribbons and gold medals. By the time I was 8, I was breaking records and achieving Triple A times, and in the following years I would begin to grow a name for myself. Swimmers from across the country were striving to beat my times, and people I had never met before knew me as “Nasir Harrison the backstroker”. I was a prodigy who was bound to go far with the times he was making, and that’s when covid hit. 

My 8th grade year in 2020 was when everything took a turn. My swim club’s pool shut down and I had to stop swimming. I suddenly hit a roadblock in my life. Swimming was all I knew, and without it, I felt empty. So I decided to pick up archery just for fun,to stay in shape, and mainly as something to get my mind off of being out of the pool. Archery became my safe haven as it quickly became more than just a hobby - something I knew I wanted to try competitively. I knew that the strength I needed  both mentally and physically to compete in this sport was something completely new to me, but I also knew that I was a natural born athlete and that if I put my mind to it, I could conquer any and all of the competition. Four months into competitive training, I  won the Outdoor National Championships for my age group. Standing on the first place podium with my bow in one hand and a gold medal in the other was a feeling like no other; it was a feeling of shock, joy, and a hunger for more. Over the course of the next two years I continued to do archery. I earned countless medals, ribbons and pins but despite it all, I missed swimming. It felt great making a name for myself in the archery community, but deep down I knew that swimming was my passion. 

The pools had begun opening up under strict regulations again, so I asked my dad to start training me again. The first day I hit the water was shocking. My body felt like I had never swam before; my coordination was gone, my stroke was weak and my endurance was awful. After floundering around for 20 minutes I was in near tears. But instead of quitting on the spot and going back to archery, I stayed true to my passion and started putting in the work I needed. September of 2021  marked the first time in years where I would be practicing and competing with a team. The first ever meet was nerve wracking for me. I hadn’t raced in years up until this point so I had no clue what time I was trying to get. I ended up with a 26 second 50 free, which isn't the best, but for someone who hadn't competed in 2 years, I was proud of myself. I knew though, that I would have to drop those times if I wanted to swim in college. All the odds were against me; my body felt like it was learning the sport again, I was always the youngest in my races by a year, and I had no times of my own to compare myself to. But despite it all, my goal to drop time before the end of the season was still the only thing I cared about. By the end of the season, I dropped a whole second on my 50 free, and as I practiced over the summer, preparing for my junior year season, I managed to drop the time another whole second to a 24, just 0.5 seconds away from state qualifying. I was ecstatic, a 24 second 50 free at age 16 while still getting back into the feel of swimming felt phenomenal. My junior year I was voted most improved swimmer of the team that season as recognition for the hard work and dedication I put in. So my goal this year is push my limits even more and drop more time in all my events, make the state team, and show everyone that even the most improved can push further.

I’m a natural athlete and swimming is in my blood.Given this is my last year of swimming in high school, I’m going to make sure I give it my all with the hopes that it will mark the beginning of my first year of swimming in college.