TEN QUESTIONS WITH...

As a team, last year at this time we were having a difficult season, but this year we have done well in our meets so far, we recently beat Ball State by a good margin. All of our meets so far have been really good and we have come a long way since last year.

Individually, at this time last year I was not swimming very well. However this year I feel like I am swimming much better and I think that is because of our strength and conditioning program.

2. You’re from Raleigh, North Carolina. How did you end up coming to Buffalo from Raleigh?

I really was tired of the warm weather, as difficult as that may be to imagine. I really enjoy snow and I wanted a change. I am a nursing major and the nursing program here is very good and so is the swim team. Also, Andy (Bashor, head swim coach) is from North Carolina State, which is only ten minutes from my house, so my coach back home knows him.

3. You have a twin sister, Julie, who plays on the women’s soccer team. Did you always intend to attend the same school, or what it a coincidence?

She was looking at seven schools, Buffalo being one of them, and by November of our senior year I had signed with Buffalo. The other schools she was looking at were all in the south but I think when I signed with Buffalo we knew that we didn’t want to be that far away from each other, so I think she sort of followed me.

4. One of the events that you swim is the individual medley, so you have to swim all four strokes. Are there any strokes that you like or dislike swimming more than the others?

Well, I do freestyle as well as the IM, so I really enjoy swimming freestyle. I used to be a breaststroker, so that’s not so bad, but my butterfly is awful.

5. The concept of pool conditions is something people sometimes mention in swimming. That a certain pool may be a “fast pool” or a “slow pool.” Does that really mean anything to swimmers?

To a lot of swimmers it does. They are worried about the water temperature, the depth of the water, the size of the pool. However, we have been trained that pool conditions are out of our control; it’s not something we can change. So we go into the meets knowing those things about the pool but you can’t let it effect how you swim.

6. How do you balance the individual and team dynamics of a sport like swimming?

When you are up on the blocks, its just you. But when you are hanging out on the side of the pool, then it’s all about the team and the other people wearing Buffalo stuff.

7. What are your goals and expectations for the rest of the season, both for you individually and for the team?

We want to place much higher than we did last year at MACs, last year we were eighth. We want to be more recognized as a team, to earn more respect.

Individually, I just want to be much faster than I was last year and place much higher.

8. Do you have a pre-meet routine and if so, what is it?

In high school when I swam club, our coach made us do the same thing behind the blocks every time. Basically I have to warm up between 500 and 600 in the warm up pool. Then I go behind the blocks, I stretch a little, the same stretches every time, then I crack my neck and put my goggles on. And I have to smile; I have to dive in smiling.

9. If you could play any other sport at UB, what would it be and why?

I would run cross country. I ran cross country in high school and I’m pretty fast. At the beginning of the year the guys and the girls (swim teams) run for conditioning…and I did very well!

10. What has been your favorite moment so far as a student-athlete at UB?

I don’t have one moment in particular but I do really enjoy being able to look up in the stands at a swim meet and seeing my sister there.