Freshman swimmer Alanna May is one of this week’s athletes of the week.
As for how the season has gone thus far, May said, “So far it’s been really good. I swam before college, in high school and club, and the team culture is a lot different than at my hometown. Everyone here is a lot closer. They’re very welcoming, very encouraging. Not to say that at home people weren’t like that sometimes, but here every single person on the team was so kind to me when I came in. It’s been really good. My coach, Coach Graham [Duncan], is such a good coach. He’s so detail-oriented and very observant. He really gets to know you, and it helps a lot.”
When asked about some of the difference-makers on the team, May said, “That’s hard. There’s a lot. Obviously, my coaches. They impact the team a lot even if they don’t realize it. It’s their attitudes when they come in. There’s a girl, her name is Joy Killingsworth. She’s been really helpful to me. I love her so much. She’s been so kind to me, and we’re kind of practice buddies. Overall on the team, I’d definitely say the captains influence everybody. Braden Vincent is a captain, Owen Seymour, Maris Wainright and Sophia [Smallwood] put together little team events, and when we’re working through sets, you can hear people yell out, ‘You guys got this.’ Everybody’s really encouraging.”
“It was a nice surprise,” said May when asked about what being the athlete of the week means to her. “I think it encourages me to keep working really hard. It was a little surprising. I didn’t know it was gonna happen, but it’s definitely encouraging.”
When asked about her goals for the season, May said, “Firstly, my goal for the season is just to keep pushing myself, keep getting better, do my best to drop time. Sometimes seasons don’t go the way you want, but my goal is really to work hard, give it my all and see how much I can improve. For the team, I think it’s just to keep the team culture that we have. I’m sure we could even make it stronger than we have now.”
