Magdalene Noftz '22 Recruiting Profile

I started swimming competitively when I was eight years old. I tried out for a swim team and discovered that I loved it. Swimming has taught me the importance of time management, hard work, and patience. These values have not only affected my swimming, but also influenced the way I live my life.

I injured my shoulder last year, which kept me out for the 2017 - 2018 winter season. I wasn't able to swim at meets or at practice. It was frustrating, but it taught me that if I really wanted something, I had to work for it. I kicked at every practice and did physical therapy every day. For the 2018 summer season, I was able to use my arms again and build back up to where I was before. I have a much stronger kick now and a strong pull from the physical therapy. It has also made me a much smarter swimmer.

My hard work paid off during the summer season when I was a member of the 2018 YMCA LC State Champion Team. I qualified in and swam the 400 Free, 200 Free, 100 Breast, 50 Free, 100 Free, and I was a member of the Illinois state champion 200 Free Relay team. I also recently made the varsity team at my high school as an incoming freshman and was named the “Key Newcomer” to the team by the Northwest Herald newspaper.

Academics and community service are also very important to me.  Last year, I had a 4.1 / 4.0 GPA and I was a member of the National Junior Honor Society and the Science Olympiad team. This year, I’m participating in an engineering program called Project Lead the Way, and I hope to study a STEM-related field in college.  I volunteer regularly at my local library, Feed My Starving Children, and the Northern Illinois Food Bank. My goal for the future is to keep improving myself and see where it takes me.