Posted March 3, 2016 by
Tags: Athletics My Wheaton
Wheaton Swimming: Success Within Community
My Wheaton journey began when my grandmother and grandfather first arrived at Wheaton College in 1946. Over the next fifty years, many of my family members also attended, and although I was offered several Division 1 swimming scholarships, I decided to follow in their footsteps.
Though swimming had been an important part of my life for ten years, I knew it would be over once I graduated, however, my friendships and academic experience would influence the rest of my life. Discovering that Wheaton had a successful swim team sealed the deal, and I began my undergraduate and Wheaton swimming career in 2012.
Even during my first semester here, God affirmed my decision to come to Wheaton repeatedly by providing wonderful friends who encouraged and motivated me athletically, academically, and in my walk with the Lord. In the past four years, this has continued to be true. Through the highs and lows of swimming and college life, my teammates and I have continually supported each other, and I cannot imagine my college experience without them.
In my experience, the swim team is the most amazing community on campus. I will treasure the memories of hilarious pranks, countless team functions, and exhilarating success at swim meets. Relays are always my favorite events because swimming is such a team sport. None of us would be able to perform to our full potential without our teammates encouraging us daily at practice. In a relay, we get to celebrate our successes with the people who challenged us daily for the past six months, and the excitement is so much greater because we did it together.
Kirsty Nitz '16 is a senior Applied Health Science major who has participated in varsity swimming for four years at Wheaton College. Wheaton has an award winning men and women's swim team. To view the roster or see their schedule, visit their website.
Photo Captions: The team celebrates after a conference win; Kirsty (right) and a friend pose underwater for a photo; the swim team women don costumes and join the freshman orientation parade.