Josephine Lines '24 Recruiting Profile

My swimming career started, as most do, with a summer swim league. Throughout my elementary school years I tried every sport I could, but always came back to swimming every summer. I started club swimming in 5th grade. Competitive swim culture and the routine of club swim has been extremely beneficial for me. The routine of practices, the consistency of my teammates and coach, and the predictability of the pool always has and always will help me be the best I can possibly be in all areas of my life. My love for swimming is a gift because the sport has always given me close friendships and countless opportunities to grow. I am very coachable and received the coaches award in both my summer swim team and year round team. Being a student athlete can be demanding, especially as an AP and honors student, but I've consistently found that when I am consistent with swimming I am more successful in my academic and personal life.

An important reason for my passion to swim after high school is because I had a period of time in high school where I did not swim competitively. Through this period I rediscovered how important swimming is to me. During the summer and fall of 2021 I switched swim teams due to various issues revolving around online schooling, my coach leaving and other pressures. I spent the next 9 months swimming at a much less competitive level. In the summer of 2022 I made the decision to work myself back up to where I used to be. I missed the muscle ache after a hard practice just as much as I missed the euphoria after a good race. For the past year I’ve worked hard to build myself back up to where I used to be. In the process, I’ve learned valuable lessons about hard work, resilience, humility, and how beneficial the discipline of swim can be to my life outside of swim. It re-confirmed what I knew before - that I get better grades, am emotionally stable, and generally balanced and more successful in my life, when I am swimming regularly & competitively. 

Recently I swam an open water 10k and confirmed my love of long distance swimming.

Swimming in college is my goal because I know that I will be happier, healthier, and more successful academically when I am presented with the opportunities and challenges of college swimming. I believe I have tremendous potential to improve & grow in the sport and know I will be more successful in college if swimming. I would be so incredibly grateful if given this opportunity.