Hailey Groharing '21 Recruiting Profile

Diving into the world of competitive swimming at just seven years old, I quickly fell in love with the sport. The pool is where I am happiest, and swimming has been an incredibly rewarding part of my life. Being a swimmer has taught me some of life’s greatest lessons and allowed me to build strong relationships, which is exactly why I hope to continue swimming at the collegiate level. It excites me to think of the possibilities I would have as a college swimmer. Being able to take direction from an experienced staff of coaches, who are equally passionate about the world of swimming, in order to develop into an even more well-rounded swimmer is something that fuels the fire that already burns within me. Creating new friendships and learning from new teammates is another aspect of college swimming that I cannot wait to experience. I also look forward to sharing my knowledge and being the type of swimmer to whom both coaches and teammates are drawn. Being one of the oldest swimmers on my club team, I have learned to be a leader and help guide my team to success. Everything that I have learned during my years as a swimmer, I hope to carry into my college swimming career.                    

My years as a club swimmer provided me a great platform to begin my four years of high school swimming. As a Freshman, I saw great success while swimming at the Varsity level. During my early years of club swimming, practicing in the high school pool, I clearly remember looking up at the record boards and telling my coach that my name would be up there one day. So, as a Freshman, one of my personal goals was to beat the Varsity record in the 100 Breaststroke. During the Sectional Championship, I saw this dream come true with a bittersweet swim. It was bittersweet because I achieved my personal goal, but the swim left me one-tenth away from a trip to State as a Freshman. Little did I know, but that one-tenth of a second lit a fire in me bigger than I ever thought possible.  As a sophomore at the Sectional Meet, I managed to place 2nd and 3rd in my 200 IM and 100 Breaststroke and broke my own school record in the breaststroke. Not only did I swim well individually at this meet, but I was also part of the two relays that qualified for State. As a team, we also broke the school record in the 400 freestyle.  Although I have yet to qualify for State individually, I will continue to work hard during club season as well as next high school season to ensure another trip to State with my teammates on relays, but also  indivdually my junior year.

Not only do I hope to pursue my dream of becoming a collegiate swimmer, but I am also looking forward to finding a school that will help me achieve my career goals, as well. I plan to continue my education in order to pursue a career in physical therapy. Currently, I am taking advanced English, mathematics, and biology courses, along with my electives including technology, Spanish, and agriculture, and am currently in the top 10 of my class. Along with participating on my high school and club swim teams, I also take part in track by running the 800 M. This demanding schedule has taught me great time management skills, which will most certainly help me to be successful in juggling the difficult tasks that a college student athlete faces daily. I cannot wait to find a school that will help me achieve all of my goals, and I look forward to coming in contact with any universities that are interested in me, and seeing if we are a match.