Kyleigh Barao '17 Recruiting Profile

Hi, my name is Kyleigh Barao.  I am a two time Massachusetts Division 1 100 Butterfly state champion and have consistently earned a spot in the New England top 10 swimmers.  I began swimming on a local YMCA team when I was six. At first I was the slowest of the 8 and under group, but by the time I turned 7 I was one of the fastest.  As I got older I wanted tougher competition.  I joined Cape Cod Swim Club when I was 10, after a very small USA team in my area stopped swimming in meets.  I started with the younger swimmers and eventually worked my way up to the senior team and then was one of four swimmers selected to compete on their national team.  Being on the CCSC national team meant doubles five days a week and singles the other two, getting up at 4:30 a.m. to be driven 35 minutes for a 5:15 a.m. practice, school, then immediately after school back to practice.  I would still be swimming for Cape Cod but they have a rule that applies to all high school sports which requires any swimmer playing any high school sport including swimming to swim in no group higher than their junior group, which only practiced 7 hours a week as opposed to the 22 hours a week I was practicing while with the national group.  I knew this was the rule and after regretting not swimming for my high school freshman year I decided to swim for my high school team my sophomore year which meant I would need to switch USA swim teams to keep my training at the high level I desired.  I transferred to Attleboro Bluefish, which is an hour from my house (I live in a rural area and nothing is close) where I could still compete for my high school and swim on a national team that has challenging practices. 

     I plan on attending college as a biology major. 

     I believe I would be a good addition to a college team because of my work ethic.  I was the recipient of the "Best Workout Award" for three years in a row when I swam for Cape Cod Swim Club.  This award was given to the swimmer who was present at every practice and who worked the hardest consistently.  I don't believe in wasting time.  When I show up for practice I want to take away as much as I possibly can and improve as much as I can.  I believe this is achieved through hard work and implementing all corrections coaches make.  I also believe I would be a good addition to a college team because I know how to be a team player.  Through high school swimming I learned that the team always comes first.  I also like the opportunity to work with different coaches because I believe there is always a lot to be learned from your coaches.  When swimming for high school my focus was on swimming my best, and cheering on my team mates so that our team could win the meet.  I was placed in events that would benefit the team, not necessarily my best events which is how events are chosen for USA swimming, which helped me build up my weaker events.  I love the camaraderie the team environment generates and I love being a team player.

     I am different from other recruits in numerous ways.  I've always been allowed, since I was six, to choose where I swim and how much and hard I practiced.  My parents supported but didn't push which allowed me to be self motivated and set my own goals.  I embrace the challenges swimming presents even when it takes me out of my comfort zone.  My work ethic in swimming is similar to my academic work ethic.  During my sophomore year I took two AP courses, one of which was designed to be taken by juniors, and I passed both national tests for AP US History and AP Biology.  Junior year I have three AP classes and the rest of my courses are at the honors level.  My class rank has stayed within the top ten and I've maintained a 3.6 GPA.  Senior year I plan to take dual enrollment courses at UMASS Dartmouth to get an early college experience along with 3 additional AP courses.  Junior year I became a member of the National Honor Society and also am the recipient of the Dartmouth college book award.