Introducing this week’s campus celebrity Nicole Anderson. She swims the back stroke and distance free on the UNH Swim Team and just recently helped her team in winning the America East Championships! Keep reading to find out all the details about the Conference, and many personal details about her swimming career and more!
Name: Nicole Anderson
School/Year: COLA – Junior
Major: English, Psychology Minor
Hometown: Dover, NH
Activities/Clubs: Member of the UNH swim team, a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), a member of Athletes InterVarsity, and a member of Sigma Tau Delta (the honors English society). I also teach private swim lessons.
Very recently, you helped your team in winning the America East Championships, please, give us all the details!
Our team was extremely strong and full of a lot of talent this year. We remained in first place from day one through day three of the America East Championships and scored a record-breaking 877 points to win the meet. It was also the first time we won back-to-back championships (we won last year) since 2005/2006. Individually, I came in second in the 100-yard backstroke, eighth in the 200-yard backstroke, 11th in the 1650-yard freestyle, and was the leading backstroke leg of the third place 200-yard medley relay.
What is your position on the UNH swim team and for those of us who are unfamiliar with it, what exactly is it that you do?
My specialty events are backstroke and distance free, so in season I swim the 50, 100, and 200-yard backstrokes, and the 1000 and 1650-yard freestyles. Basically, that just means I swim up and down the pool…a LOT, and get an extra 5am practice on Fridays!
Which awards/recognitions/accomplishments/accolades are you most proud of in your swimming career?
Last year at our end of the season banquet I was granted the Golden Goggle award. It is named after Richard Hegerich, a member of the UNH men’s team who was killed by a drunk driver in 2004. The award highlights a swimmer whose dedication and spirit are integral to the team, just as Rich was, and it was an absolute honor to receive.
How long have you been competitively swimming/diving? What made you start?
I joined my club, USA swim team in Dover when I was in Kindergarten, so I’ve been swimming for about 16 years. Honestly, my parents only signed me up because my older cousin was on the team, and then I quickly learned that I was absolutely terrible at all land-sports, anyways…so swimming it was!
What is the most rewarding part about swimming?
Definitely the relationships I have built with the coaches and many teammates I have had over the years. There’s just something about suffering together through practices filled with endless yardage that makes those friendships unbreakable. Plus, we all eat like linebackers and never judge each other for it!
What is the most challenging part about swimming?
Hands down making it through the training, especially during J-term when everyone’s off campus and all we do is swim twice a day, lift, and sleep. It gets so demanding and monotonous that the real challenge is maintaining motivation through it all.
Give us one fun fact about you!
I’m going abroad this summer to study in Cambridge, England!
Lastly, if you could pick next week’s campus celebrity, who would it be and why?
Taryn Pydynkowski, a member of the women’s “field and track” team. She’s completely awesome and down-to-earth, and just weird enough to dance on top of a table in Hoco, if you give her some Pitbull to listen to. Try it, I dare you.