Lance Butler '20 Recruiting Profile

I began swimming at age 4 on my neighborhood summer league swim team. I immediately fell in love with the sport of swimming and and loved the competition ever since. The feeling you get before and during a race is hard to put into words. I started swimming age group (year round) at the age of 9. Swimming has become "my life" and enjoy the training, camaraderie with my teammates and drive to compete each day. The most important thing for me is being part of a group or team. That feeling of "belonging" is important. It is important for your team to work together as a unit to achieve a set of goals or to hit a "target" time on a relay.  My high school team is like a family. We strive to not let each other down and hit these goals or targets.

This past season my longtime coach in summer and high school quit coaching to start a family. It was huge adjustment for me and my teammates. We were given a coach with very little experience. As team captain I had to pull the team together. I helped our new coach and gave him a crash course in basics of competitive swimming. He has good leadership qualities but needed help. Our team had a great showing at districts, regionals and state. I made finals in 2 individual events and the 400 Free relay. It was tough starting the season without a true coach. The boys team really pulled together as a group and had one of the best seasons in team history. We spend a ton of time weekly working hard. It all seems worth it when you do have a nice time drop or bring your team from behind to go ahead on a relay. The exhilaration of racing and importance of team and belonging are just some of the reasons I decided several years ago that swimming at the collegiate level would be my top goal as I worked through my high school years.  

I feel I can help your program with freestyle sprint events. This is where I have strived and grown as swimmer the last couple of years. I worked very hard on my stoke, starts, under waters and turns to get quicker on my sprint events. My coach was a sprinter at the University of Texas in the early 2000's and has great experience and tips on freetstyle sprint. I know the relays are important and this training should help me help you in maximizing points on relay events. 

I am looking for a program that has a true family atmosphere, but also works hard together in the pool. A program that sets goals for their swimmers and team each season. I want and take criticism well, this is what assists you growth and in improving. I want to grow in swimming but also as person and student. Academic programs within the university are ver important to me. I have not completely decided on  a major, but I am leaning towards Sports Management or Marketing, Business or Physical Therapy / Kinesiology. I feel my leadership and team focus on my high school and club teams will allow me to fit in nicely to most swim programs. I know swimming has developed me as a person in  leadership, perseverance, time management and dedication. I am hoping by becoming a student athlete I can further develop skills in my growth as a person in all of these areas and more. My dream is to swim in a Division1 program. I am excited to get started.