James Van Der Linden '16 Recruiting Profile

My name is Alex Van Der Linden and I have been competitively swimming for almost 2 years now. I started out swimming only in the summer league and high school until I realized that I developed a passion for it. That passion came around the time when I broke 23 seconds in the 50 Free. Soon after I began swimming for Rowan Aquatic Club, I then realized that swimming year round was a whole lot harder than I thought. Unfortunately, I was only going through the motions for the first year. Then I sat down with my coach, and asked him why I wasn’t getting better although I already knew the answer to my own question. That talk was a wakeup call for me and I started the 2014-2015 season with a whole new attitude, to work hard. Within 3 months I reached all my season goals while also qualifying for YMCA Nationals in 2 events. I hope to have a Junior National cut soon. I will continue to work hard and push my limits in the pool and in the classroom. I am a private pilot and always enjoyed the world of aviation. I have an interest in engineering and would love to use swimming as a stepping stone to pursue that career.