Kelly Lennon '17 Recruiting Profile

My name is Kelly Lennon and as I approach the end of my junior year I’m excited about my college selection process starting to take shape. I’ve been swimming since I was 8 years old. My parents wanted to teach me how to swim as a safety precaution and I guess something just clicked.

I’ve always been a very structured person, I like schedules and routines and knowing what’s coming next. Swimming has provided me that structure but it’s also thrown me a lot of curveballs, a lot of challenges. I’ve learned nobody wins all the time; you can’t have a great practice or race every time you get in the pool. Sometimes you don’t make that cut you’ve been working towards. But that doesn’t mean you should stop trying and what I’ve learned about myself is that I can also look further down the line. I can look past the immediate and focus on longer terms goals. It’s been a challenge but I think I’ve mostly succeeded.

My parents have been so helpful in this regard. My mom is a school teacher; she’s where I get my need for schedules and structure. My dad was a college football player; he’s where I get my “long term” focus from. He helps me keep things in perspective, never getting too high or too low, just keep pressing forward.

I tried to apply these two approaches to my school work as well. I know I’m never going to get 100% on every test or quiz but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try or get discouraged when I don’t. I have to keep pushing towards the best final grade/average I can. I have to keep my eyes focused on both the immediate and the long term.

As I start to talk to different coaches I try to keep both things in mind. I try to make sure I’m presenting myself as best as I can but I also know there is a much longer relationship at hand and I need to make sure that it will be a good fit for both of us.

I’m really looking forward to college. I’ve talked to so many former teammates, family, friends, etc. about their experiences and I can’t wait to ‘spread my wings’. I’ve a great foundation at home and I know I’ve been prepared both in the pool and in the classroom. I can’t wait!