Katia Insley '21 Recruiting Profile

2020 Updates: I have just experienced my most difficult year of swimming. I had an emergency appendectomy in the summer which kept me out of the water. I didn't realize how much I had lost being out of the water for most of the summer. Getting back in shape and being able to gain strength took most of the fall, but my times were nowhere where I wanted them.  I began swimming high school season and in December I got pneumonia which caused me to lessen my practice time again.  I was swimming and gearing up for our conference meet when my grandmother unexpectedly passed away.  She is the first person to die close to me and it has been a difficult time. I swam in her honor the weekend she died and was able to help my team win the conference championships. I swam for firsts in the 50 Free and 100 free as well as the 200 medley relay and 400 free relay. I wasn't happy with my times, but I helped my team win. I was named to the All Bayside Honor team.  My team won the regional meet two weeks later for the first time in ten years and I qualified for states in the 50 free and 100 free while reaching season best times.  I also swam the two relays at states. The biggest excitement was that my high school girls' team placed third in the state meet!  Our best showing ever against much bigger teams! I placed 4th in the 100 free and 6th in the 50 free with comparable times to last year. We won 3rd in the 400 Free Relay.  It took a lot to get back to the times I had the previous year and this season proved to me that I can overcome challenges with hard work and support of my family, teammates, and coaches. 

I have always loved being in the water. My parents took me to the pool after they adopted me from the Ukraine and I have loved it ever since. I was not afraid and wanted to swim with the bigger kids instead of the kiddie pool. I took lessons, swam in the summers, and joined my first summer team as a first grader. I swam summers until I took a summer off and only did stroke work and was asked by the coach to swim year-round as an 8^th grader. I joined the Annapolis Swim Club and swam okay for my first year. I made a goal to qualify for championships the next year, and in my second year with the team, I reached the goal. I dropped times a lot. For my high school, I placed 7^th in the MD State High School Championships for the 50 freestyle my freshman year. In my third year I made a goal to make sectionals and I accomplished it. I also finished 3^rd in the MD State High School Championships for both the 50 free and 100 free events last year as a sophomore for my high school team. This year my goal is to get a 23 in my 50 scy freestyle event and a 52 in my 100 scy freestyle. I want to win the states for my 50 free and 100 free also.

 I am still deciding on my exact path but am interested in PE and Health Education with some coursework in fitness and coaching. One goal I have is to improve my freestyle sprinting and conditioning/fitness level through increased swimming and weight training. I hope to receive coaching that will allow me to improve my times to reach the highest level I can.

I want to be a part of a team to represent my college, make new friends and build relationships, and to have a support system for personal and academic needs.  Being organized and goal oriented has allowed me to swim for two teams and complete schoolwork as well as play golf and volunteer. I know this will also help me in college.

I will do my best to improve and I am always ready to listen to coaches to help me improve my stroke or start. I am honest, caring and devoted. I will help others, support my teammates,  and use my time to be involved in charitable activities on campus and with the swim team. I volunteer with the Special Olympics for Golf and participate in Night to Shine, a prom for special needs people. I know I can contribute in the pool and out and be a positive representative of your team.