Austin Simpson '22 Recruiting Profile

I have gained a lot of speed this short course season (dropping 25 seconds in my 500 free, 8 seconds in my 200 free, over 2 seconds in my 100 free and 1 second in my 50 free), through perseverance and hard work. But I’m not done -- I am working towards Olympic Trial Cuts this summer.

College Swimming Profile: https://www.swimcloud.com/swimmer/724033/

Recent Videos (500 FR, 200 FR, 100 FR) (March 2021): https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3d6p9febw3pfdwb/AACNGUwbl_-_5kfzg0Joe2rVa?dl=0

Video in profile -- 2021 Highlights (500 FR (4:29.76); 200 FR (1:40.02); 100 FR (46.43)).

One reason I had so much ground to make up was that I had been slowed by an injury in the fall of 2019, and was just coming back into shape when the pandemic hit in March 2020, meaning that I essentially lost my full sophomore year. Although disappointing, I don’t let adversity get me down -- I am extremely committed to swimming and to my improvement. While I was hurt in late 2019/early 2020, I attended multiple different types of physical therapy, strength training, and doctor visits in order to get back in the pool as quickly as possible. During the pandemic, I committed myself to as much exercise as possible. I exercised nearly every day for the 3+ months we were out of the pool, including not missing a single daily Zoom dry land practice with my team, running (including a marathon challenge -- I ran 1.1 miles an hour for 24 hours straight), and using resistance bands in my neighbor's backyard pool. We got back in the pool in late June 2020. Our coach has worked really hard to find us pool time in a succession of pools, which is great, but these pools are further from my house -- it’s required a lot of travel on my part. I am doing 2 extra morning practices a week, primarily focused on distance/endurance, with college swimmers who are home during the pandemic -- this means I’m traveling 45-60 minutes each way 8 times a week. But it’s gratifying to see the hard work pay off.

Swimming is very much a part of who I am. When I go to practice every day, I am overwhelmed by the love, support, and friendship that has arisen between me and my teammates. Whether it be a practice or at meets, we always strive to have a good time and laugh as much as possible. My friends and I all feel better racing when we are more relaxed, so we make an effort to support each other no matter what. I have no complaints with anyone on my team, and I feel confident enough to say that I am friends, or friendly, with them all. I think that I am a very important member of my team, not only for competitions but also for the social aspect. I believe that my ability to put others in a good mood and help them out with topics that may or may not relate to swimming is important to have when encouraging our team to work well together and create strong bonds.  Similarly, I have great relations with any coach I've had in the past.  Working with my coaches in a constructive and informative way is important to me.

In terms of academics, I strive to balance athletics and schoolwork. I try my hardest in all of my classes and make sure to give my all on all assignments, despite having practices and a huge commitment to swimming.