Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Q&A: Freshman Swimmer Meredith Monroe
February 25, 2008 | Women's Swimming and Diving
As the Princeton women's swimming and diving team prepares for the 2008 Ivy League Championships, freshman Meredith Monroe took time to chat with GoPrincetonTigers.com about her swimming background, her early success at Princeton and her goals for the rest of the year.
1) How did you first get involved in swimming, and how old were you when you first became a competitive swimmer?
As a little kid I always loved water. I can remember my mom telling me stories that I would dunk my entire head in fountains everywhere we went. The summer before I started kindergarten I went to a local summer camp, and an optional part of the camp was a swimming class, so my parents figured that I should give it a try. At that same summer camp, when I was eight, one of the instructors told my parents that I had a natural ease and love for the water, so I should join a club team. By the end of that summer I had already joined a club team, and I loved it. I have been swimming competitively ever since.
2) What made you so interested in swimming, considering the sacrifice and time commitments you need to be a competitive swimmer?
Swimming always came pretty naturally to me in terms of me being interested and me liking it. Like I said before, I have always loved the water. I tried other sports; I did gymnastics, but I was too tall, and I did softball for a while, but I didn't like running or getting all hot and sweaty, so swimming fit in perfectly of what would be my ideal sport. Also, when you first start off with any sport, not only swimming, you never know how much time commitment and sacrifice it will take. If I had thought about that I'm sure I would have never started, you just sort of grow into it. A couple of practices here and there with some meets thrown in there, then as you get better and improve you step up the commitment and keep going. It's a natural progression that you work into, it's not thrown at you all at once, and that makes it easier to still love because over time you have given up a little here and there and you don't really notice how much you have truly sacrificed.
3) When did you first become interested in Princeton, and what made you decide to come here?
I'm not sure I can pinpoint an exact moment that I wanted to come to Princeton. I wanted to find a good mix of athletics and academics, because I know I can't swim forever. Also, I wanted to branch out from Texas and experience something totally different, like seasons and cold weather. I had been in contact with Coach Teeter some and she invited me to junior day for swimming. When I came here, I loved it, and then I really got to see more of the Princeton life when I came here for a recruiting trip. The campus was beautiful, there were several options that I was very interested that I could pursue for a major, but the deciding factor to come here was definitely the team. The girls were amazing and had so much fun together and I really wanted to be a part of that. I knew if I went anywhere else that I would always wondered what it would have been like if I had come here, so I dropped the “what if” and decided that this is where I wanted to be.
4) Did you expect to make such an impact in your first year here?
No, I didn't expect to make such an impact. The only thing I wanted to do this year was get good training in, hopefully drop some time here and there, and be on relays. I really love relays, so being able to be on them is such an achievement because it means that the team believes in you and there is no greater honor than their trust.
5) This is a program that has a tradition of success. Did you feel pressure as a freshman to live up to the past?
Rather than pressure, I feel a sense of tradition that I want to uphold for the future. I want all the future classes to feel like they are something special, a part of the Princeton swimming family, the way I do. Also, I want to help raise the bar for the years to come, so that Princeton will always be the epitome of a great swimming program not only in the Ivy League, but also in the United States.
6) What has been the toughest part of the transition to Princeton, either in or out of the pool?
The toughest part of the transition to Princeton has definitely been the work. While there are fewer classes than high school, there is twice as much work and not enough time in the day to get all of it done. It's all a matter of time management and putting the time I do have to good use.
7) Past and current Tigers have always credited the closeness and camaraderie of the team as a big reason for all of the success. Did you feel that immediately, and do you think your class has already become part of it?
Yes, I did feel the closeness right away. From day one, the team was right there for us if we needed anything and we all hit it off really well. They showed us the ropes in practice and around campus, since some of us tended to get lost rather easily. And I do think my class is a part of the closeness and camaraderie. We seem to have fit into this team perfectly and I think the whole team enjoys what we bring to the table both in and out of the pool.
8) You have come close to qualifying for NCAAs in the back. How important is that goal for you at Ivies?
Qualifying for the NCAAs is definitely my biggest individual goal. Coming into my freshman season, I considered the NCAAs as a long term goal I could work to in the future, but I never thought I would be as close to it as I am now. I think now, getting the cut would show me that my goals are within reach and that I just have to stay focused on what I want to do and achieve. If I do get the opportunity to go then I would feel accomplished to be in the company of my teammates Alicia Aemisegger and Courtney Kilkuts. There are several others who are just as close as I am, and it would be great to have a large team go.
9) What have your teammates told you about the Ivy Championships and how different they are from normal meets?
I hear that nothing compares to the Ivy Championships, especially when they are in our house. According to the team, the energy and atmosphere is amazing with all the teams being there, there is just so much spirit. Also, this is everyone's big meet, so everyone is really focused on what they have to do individually and for the team. Coach Teeter always says that Ivies are like six consecutive dual meets; we need to race in the morning in order to race at night. Ivies are different from normal meets in that there are prelims and finals and the meet is three consecutive days, so there is much more racing that what we do in a regular dual meet.
10) How do you feel that the team has been training recently, and do you think the team is peaking as it heads to its biggest meet of the year?
I feel like our team has done a great job of training recently, we have all put in the long hours and hard work all season and I believe that we are able to do better than we have ever done.