Nicole McCann '16 Recruiting Profile

I am a senior at Adrian High School in Adrian, MI. I am enrolled in the International Baccalaureate program with a current cumulative GPA of 4.1, I have an ACT score of 26, and I am ranked 5th in my class of 182 students. I am interested in a suburban/ rural school with a population between 5,000 and 15,000. I swim year round and compete on three swim teams: Lenawee County YMCA Waverunners in the summer, Adrian High School Women’s Swim and Dive Team in the Fall, and the Lenawee County YMCA Gators during the Winter and Spring. I am 6’ and weigh roughly 160 pounds. My main events are the 50 free and 100 back but I also swim the 100 free. My fastest times are 25.19, 1:04.60, and 56.20 respectively. During my 2014- 2015 YMCA State meet, I was placed third in the state for the 50 Freestyle and qualified for Zones. I have performed at the state level three years in a row with my high school team qualifying individual events as well as relays. This year, I set two pool records at Belleville High School for the 50 Free and in the 400 free relay.

I believe I could be a valuable asset on your team for many reasons. One is that I am highly driven. I have pushed myself to my limits many times and because of that, I have become a stronger person. I have developed accountability because when my shoulders burn and beg me to stop, I remind myself that this torture is only going to help me improve. This sport has also taught me leadership skills because I was named captain on the 2014-2015 Lenawee County YMCA Gators Swim Team. I strive to excel in every situation I am put in whether it is in the pool, classroom, or the tasks of my everyday life.

Swimming has become my escape and my therapy. Focusing on challenging my body and mind to make the interval helps me forget the rest of the world. The water fills my ears and the silence is soothing. The pool holds me together with the constant repetition of stroke after stroke when I feel as if my life is falling apart. Swimming is the only constant in my life. The pool is my second home and I cannot be without it. For ten months out of the year I push myself till I am emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausted while my body tries to push through the pain and the mind attempts not to give up. There is no way to put into words the sensation that fills my body from head to toe when I out- touch the opponent during a close race or when I look at the board and see I made a new personal record, or better yet, a state cut. In the end, that one feeling justifies the list of excuses and reasons to quit.