Mary Yockey '20 Recruiting Profile

Starting my swimming career in high school was one of the best decisions of my life as well as one of the most difficult. While many athletes begin year-round training at a young age, I swam only during the summer because I was pursuing other interests including music, theater, and cross country. After swimming on my high school team my freshman year, I decided I enjoyed swimming too much to wait until the next season to start again. A friend recommended that I consider the Springfield YMCA for year-round swimming.

Since I joined the swim team at the age of fourteen, I was placed with swimmers who were younger, yet faster, than I. This not only taught me the important lesson of humility, but it also served as an incentive for me to work harder and thus improve my times. I used this drive to will myself through challenging sets and to override the doubts I felt.

During my first season, my goal was to make the state team; however, I fell short, missing three cuts by less than a second. The following season, I came back more determined than ever, aspiring to make the state team. I began keeping a journal which helped me track my practice goals and times. Through this practice, I was able to reflect on past workouts and plan how to perform more efficiently. That year I was proud to make the state team in multiple events.

Now, beginning my senior year with aspirations of making the national team, I understand more clearly the importance of passion, persistence, positivity, and goal setting. Swimming has helped me learn to apply these lessons outside of the pool as well. In school, I have started working harder than ever, finding joy in subjects I had a particular aversion to in middle school: science and math. While I had never imagined I would take an interest in these disciplines, I have taken a number of higher level math and science courses, and I hope to continue to pursue these areas at the collegiate level.

 Additionally, in my personal life, this sport has taught me the importance of making connections with others and being supportive when needed. Over the past two and a half years, I have had the privilege of working at the YMCA in various capacities; these have included the roles of swim coach, swim instructor, and volunteer for special needs swimmers. Each of these experiences has been uniquely enriching, teaching me to be understanding and empathetic towards swimmers who have widely varying aspirations, levels of experience, athletic proficiency, and developmental abilities. 

I wish to continue swimming in college because I know there is no other sport that can motivate me the way swimming has. I also wish to surround myself with determined, ambitious people, and I want to continue to grow as both a swimmer and as a person.