Anya MacPhail '20 Recruiting Profile

I was born in Canada, but have lived in The Bahamas for the last nine years. Even though my citizenship is Canadian, I feel at home in The Bahamas. My swimming journey took off in The Bahamas; I was selected for my first national team in 2015 and I have continued to be selected for the National Team every year since. Being able to represent The Bahamas has made me more passionate about swimming and has driven me to reach new goals. I aspire to find a college with high academic standards, but where I can also continue to be part of a team and get better in my swimming. Throughout my high school life I have been able to maintain a 3.9 GPA even while maintaining a rigorous swim schedule. This makes me confident that I can balance my academics and athletics during my time at college. In late April of 2018 I had a swimming accident where I broke the metacarpal in my left hand and needed surgery the next day. This put me in a cast and out of the water for three weeks. The time out of the water didn't keep me still, as I found myself doing every exercise I could and I took time to reflect on myself as a swimmer. Two months after breaking my hand The Bahamas National Championships came around and I wanted to compete. I went into the meet with the mindset to try my hardest and I was still able to come out of the meet winning the high point trophy for my age group (15 & over) and was national champion in the 400 free, 800 free, and 400 IM. My head coach often looks to me to provide leadership as a senior girl on the team and commends my work ethic to the younger swimmers. I love being able to set a good example for the younger swimmers on my team. I'm also excited for the next chapter in my journey as a student athlete at a U.S. college!