Marcus Ramirez '20 Recruiting Profile

Swimming has been a significant part of my life since I was eleven. I am looking forward to beginning my college career in 2020, and hope that swimming can be a part of it. I began swimming at a summer league meet--at this time I had only participated in swim lessons for the team--and my coach, completely out of the blue, told me I was up next, which, caught me off guard. I have come a long way since then, having participated in meets at both state and regional levels. Ever since that first meet, I learned to love both the competition and the excitement associated with swimming.

After swimming competitively for 5 years,  I decided to take a break from club swim to focus on high school academics and sports. During my sophomore and junior year, I swam exclusively for my high school. After my junior year swim season, I rejoined a club team and will participate in meets throughout the long course season. Since the 1650y and 1000y races are not offered to high school swimmers in Oregon, I am looking forward to being able to swim my best events again.

Over the past two years, I have learned to overcome adversity to become a better athlete.  During the fall of my sophomore year, I experienced a streak of illness that began with a walking pneumonia diagnosis. After recovering from pneumonia I continued to struggle to breathe during physical activity, initially being diagnosed with asthma. After additional consultation with doctors, my illness was diagnosed as vocal chord dysfunction.  I worked closely with my speech pathologist to understand and overcome vocal chord dysfunction.

While swimming has been an important part of who I am, I have also worked hard to excel in other aspects of my life. I have participated in varsity cross-country and track since my freshman year. I first started running in sixth grade and have participated in races ranging from 3 kilometers to a half marathon. I have also been able to combine my passion for running and swimming by competing in three triathlons. However, my first priority has always been my academics. I have always tried to challenge myself by taking difficult courses on top of my extra-curricular activities. I am extremely interested in my science classes and I even founded my school's science bowl team.

I hope to continue my academic pursuits in an environment where I can also pursue my passion for swimming.