Arianna Nigioni '17 Recruiting Profile

my graduation year in Italy is 2017 but I was in the 2016 graduating class of Alvirne High School in Hudson (NH). However, now I'm not in the States anymore. 

My college goals are to get a BS in physics (possibly with a minor in Astronomy) and than get master and phD in Astrophysics. My gpa has always been high, as I try to give my best in everything I do, so I think that I could handle such an hard field of studies. 

I've had ups and downs throughout my swim seasons, I've been at different pools, in different team and with different coaches, but what stayed the same is my love for this sport.

I don't think I could ever feel the same emotions as while I'm swimming. Everybody says that from the outside swimming can't be understood and from the inside you can't explain it. I think this is true, it is difficult to explain why swimmers like so much going back and forth, from a wall to the other, and not even being able to talk with your swim mates all the time. Swimming is hard, that's a fact, it's an individual sport and you have only yourself, not just your body, but mostly your mind. If your mind is determined to do something there's nothing that can stop you. You can be as trained as you what, with the most perfect stroke you can imagine, but if your mind is not focused during the race your body is not going to do anything by itself.

This sport taught me what sacrifice is, what managing your time means and it taught me to push myself to my limits and never give up until I manage to break them. There's so much work behind a top performance 100 or 50 that you ask yourself why am I doing this? I'm doing it because the feeling of making it to championships, beating my PRs and getting a medal can't be described. I'm doing it because the swim team is like a second family, a family who shares the same passions and has the strength to get up at 5am to go to practice.

I can say with all honesty that doing swimming is the best choice I have ever made and I have to thank this sport for the person I am now.