Annika Mittelsteadt '22 Recruiting Profile

    I began swim lessons at the age of 2, and started on the Bozeman Barracudas competitive swim club when I was 8, after watching the London Olympics. At the time, I was doing ballet, nordic skiing, gymnastics and swimming. But as I got older, I decided to commit to swimming. Through swimming, I have learned dedication, a good work ethic and how to work through struggle and disappointment. I also have learned that swimming is not just about yourself, but more about your teammates and a commitment to helping others achieve their goals. 

    Through balancing swimming and school I have adjusted goals in and out of the pool.  One goal I have for high school is to maintain a 4 point GPA and always ask for work ahead of time when I know I will be absent. Some of my collegiate academic goals include maintaining good grades and keeping academics and activities balanced. 

    After swimming for 6 years,  my coaches and I have learned that because I am so competitive in and out of the pool, relays are my best races. I almost always push through when I am on the anchor leg because I am  determined to stay ahead and pass competitors, for my teammates who have worked so hard. One of my biggest team achievements was breaking the 400 freestyle relay state record with my highschool team, freshman year, with a time of 3:40.69. I love seeing rewarding time drops after weeks and months of hard training and fatigue and I become especially excited for more competitive meets because every race I am competing against new swimmers. 

    One of my proudest moments as a swimmer was when our relay qualified for northwest Age Group regionals in 2017. I was put on this relay and of one of my teammates who did not have a qualifying time for any individual swims at NWAG was not on the relay.  She really wanted to go to NWAG so I decided to give up my place on that relay so that she could swim the lead leg instead of me  to try to get the NWAG qualifying time in the 100 free and she did.