Ava Biegel '23 Recruiting Profile

Like many other swimmers, swimming has been the center of my life for years. I started competitive swimming when I was 8 years old and have only grown to love it more with each passing year. There is just something about being in the water that keeps drawing me in. Whether it is the uncertainty of what can happen each day when jumping in for warm-up at a meet,  pushing myself through the tough sets at practice that seem impossible, or hitting the wall at the end of the race knowing that I finished it proudly regardless of the outcome. There are so many aspects of swimming that just keep me engaged with the sport year-round. 

Even though I work hard to get faster times in the pool, make my stroke technique better, and be more efficient, I also work to be the best teammate possible. As we grow older in the sport, personal bests are few and far between. Dealing with these disappointments can be very tough but having good teammates and being a good teammate helps. I believe that being a good, supportive teammate is just as important as giving your all in a race.   On a team we all need to work to make each other better.  However, while it is important to be a good teammate, I also understand that it is important to be selfish sometimes. Taking a step back, and focusing on what is good for me, helps me focus at a big meet.   Sometimes  I have to sit down and focus on my race, my meet, and myself.   Taking care of myself and doing what I can to ensure a positive outcome for myself, enables me to, in turn, help my team and my teammates to succeed. 

I want to attend a school that challenges me, not just athletically, but academically. One of the subjects that I am interested in studying is psychology, more specifically, sports psychology.   As an athlete, I understand that the workings of the mind can have an immense impact on the performance of the body.   Working through those mental challenges often leads to an athletic break through which had previously been stymied regardless of practice.    I look forward to attending a school that not only challenges me academically but also offers the programs to help me attain my professional goals. 

Thank you!