Abigail DeVries '22 Recruiting Profile

Hi, I am Abby DeVries and I am 17 years old. I am a Senior at Huntley High School in Huntley, Illinois. I have been swimming competitively since I was 6 years old. I swim club on the Elgin Cyclones Swim Team and I also swim for my varsity high school team. I enjoy swimming because I like pushing my limits, racing, and I enjoy the thrill of improving. It has helped me create good friendships as well. My strengths are that I’m a hard worker and I have a willingness to do additional training to get better, things like speed & agility clinics and strength training. The events that I succeed in the most are the longer events. My favorite stroke is the backstroke, however I train in all four and am always striving to get better at each stroke. I recently did open water zones in June 2019 and that was my second year competing in that race. During the 2019 club summer season, I qualified for age group state in the 400 IM and the 200 back. I also got a Senior Sectional cut in the 400 IM. One of my goals for high school swimming this year is to qualify for the state championship meet. Another high school goal is to get an NCAA D1 time standard. 

My scholastic interests include physical therapy and exercise science.  I have been accepted to the Medical Academy at my school. This school year, I am taking multiple medical classes to prepare me for a possible career in physical therapy. This summer, I started job shadowing a few places and will continue to do so throughout the year. I also, had a summer job at a physical therapy office.  Outside of school and swimming, I enjoy traveling with my family. Three summers ago, I went to the UP of Michigan with Camp Manito-wish YMCA on a 7 day sea kayaking trip on Lake Superior. Some skills that I learned from that experience are bonding as a group to help get through things and learning to mentally push through obstacles.

I am excited to continue my swim journey and look forward to continuing my career in college. I consider swimming to be an important part of my life and look forward to where it takes me!