Henry Ortiz '26 Recruiting Profile

I am a hard-working and determined student-athlete. I got these from my immigrant parents. They’ve taught my sister and me to always be hardworking and to have grit. As a first-gen, I want to be the greatest I can in everything I do. Just because I come from a low-income family doesn’t mean I can’t have as much success as a high-income person. I’ve always taught myself to be disciplined and hardworking. Because of this, I have seen many successes through my high school career and my swim club career. I’ve received a high honor roll for each quarter since freshman year, and I've been listed on the principal's list for all quarters of my high school career so far, except 1. Principal list is when a student maintains a GPA higher than 100. I want to pursue a pre-med career in college that can help me obtain a career in the medical field, whether that be working in the emergency room as a physician or as a forensic pathologist. I‘m a multi-sport athlete who always strives for the best. I work hard to achieve results that satisfy me, and when I gain results that aren’t so great I don’t let those mistakes or day‘s bring my spirit down but rather learn from that experience and figure out ways to execute better and train harder to succeed. Whether that be on the volleyball court, track, or in the pool,. 

I’ve recently joined my first swimming club and have seen success rapidly. Within only a few weeks of training and at my first meet, I broke a minute in the 100 freestyle. This is a major improvement, taking into consideration that on my town swim team, I swam a 1:15. I have also seen major success in my dominant swimming style, breaststroke. Prior to joining my swim club, I joined Express. I swam a 1:20 for the 100 breaststroke and have never swam the 200 breaststroke before. On my first day at Express, I’ve dropped 8 seconds to improve my personal record in the 100 breaststroke at 1:11.97 and set my first personal record in the 200 breast at 2:46. A month later, I would drop 10 seconds in the 200 breast to secure myself a spot in the silver championships. At Silver's, the swim meet did not go so well for me; I went out, taking last place. But I did not let this meeting make me lose hope and courage for the sport I love. I train consistently and hard throughout practice for the next meet. I’ve seen many successes throughout my first year on Express. Another example is my 200IM. At my first meet, I swam a 2:37.25, and then, with consistent training and effort, I would go a 2.29.10 a meet later. Not only do I see improvement in swimming, I also see improvement in my volleyball skills and my speed on the track.