Grayson Penland '25 Recruiting Profile

I began swimming when I was 12, but when I competed at the state level in the 2023 GHSA State Championship was when I realized I truly wanted my swimming career to continue into college. As a twelve year old I began swimming year round with a club team which made me love the sport and the process of training without the gratification of a meet-filled school season. When I was 14, I swam with a school for the first time and went with the GHSA State team as a freshman. This gave me a drive to compete and a desire to win. The desire to win and the love of the training process have pushed me to train hard year round, going to every optional practice I can and doing everything possible out of the pool to support my training. In my sophomore year I injured my shoulders. While this experience was frustrating, I grew from it and learned the importance of the habits that make a good swimmer a good swimmer out of the water. Through all of this I have learned to be a hard working athlete who tries to get as much out of every session and every hour with my coaches as I can.

I apply a similar philosophy of hard work in the classroom. I have a 4.29 GPA and a 33 ACT. I am a member of the International Thespian Society, the Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society, and a 3 year honor roll student. I take all honors or college classes and believe in pushing myself as hard and as far as I can academically. I volunteer in the theater department at my school to do tech as well as for other events in the theater.

I am looking for a college where I can continue to enjoy swimming on a team that will push me to be better and support a positive mentality towards training, as well as a college that will challenge me academically and give me a place to study the areas I enjoy studying. My goal is to be the hardest working recruit you'll find.