Gwen Sloat '21 Recruiting Profile

I have loved water my whole life.  When I was eight years old, I joined my neighborhood summer swim team and ever since I have been swimming.   Before my freshman year of high school, I made a commitment to swim with a club team to better my skills.  I tried out and made out varsity swim team.  The spring semester of my freshman year of high school, I got a chance to try water polo with some of my high school swim team.  I fell in love with it.  It had the best parts of swimming plus new aspects like teammates.  At first, I did not understand all the rules and positions, but the more I played, the more I understood.  Soon I joined my high school water polo team with what was Austin High School's first-ever water polo team.  I loved it so much that I continued to play water polo in the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of high school with the Longhorn Aquatics team.  For my sophomore year of high school, I was invited to the Longhorn Orange Select team (invite only) and have been playing year-round ever-since.  

Before water polo, I had never played in a team sport.  Swim is you against your time.  Becoming part of the Longhorn Orange team has been a very positive experience.  It has made me want to improve and get better, not just for myself but for the girls, boys, and coaches that count on me to be my best in the game.  It has taught me to push through, even when things get tough.  Naturally, I am one to push through and keep going for me, but now it's for my team too.

By making this profile with NCSA, I hope to find a college that will not only challenge me as an athlete but also provides a community for me to grow and learn in to be prepared for my journey after college.