Marissa Silva '22 Recruiting Profile

I am a Senior at Westlake High School, and I have been a competitive swimmer for eight years.  I have loved swimming since my very first day in the pool when I was two years old.   I started swimming in summer league and would always see the year-round swimmers at practice.   I saw their dedication, team oriented focus, and the joy and excitement they showed around all their teammates.  I was inspired to experience their spirit, pride, and success myself.   I have a passion not only for the sport itself, but for the daily opportunity it gives me to challenge myself both physically and mentally.   I am a hard worker, disciplined, and determined.   Success in swimming for me is not an end goal but always giving my best effort.   Whether in the pool or facing challenges in my personal or academic life, I strive to never give up, continuing to work hard through failure and setbacks.   During my freshman year I did not qualify for a spot on the A 400m freestyle relay for State by 2/100ths of a second.   Despite my frustration and disappointment I made a commitment to myself to work towards a faster time, and the following year I improved my pace and was selected to compete in the A 200m freestyle relay.   I constantly set new goals for myself, both in my swimming and academics.   This year and next year my goals are to make State as well as become a swim captain to help lead my team and mentor younger swimmers.   I have always been very team-oriented, and I think of my teammates and my coaches as family.   I believe a team’s success is not defined by the individual swimmer but by the collective effort of everyone.   I am excited to be a part of my future college team!