| Advertisement |
|
|
What separates a great swimmer from the rest is simple.
"Times," Penn coach Jess Preston said. "When it really comes down to it."
And Sarah Coyne's times are some of the best.
"She's one of our biggest meet swimmers we've ever had," Preston said. "The bigger the meet, the race, the bigger the situation, the faster Sarah's going to go."
"It's definitely all about mental," Coyne said. "A lot of people can become the exact same body as everyone else, but you have to have your mind in it. And you have to be dedicated to it and work harder than everyone else."
Coyne's work has led to a Division I scholarship. She'll compete next year at Rutgers, after signing her national letter of intent this week.
"I really liked Rutgers a lot just by the idea of the anthropology there," Coyne said. "And when I got on campus, I just like fell in love with it. And I had to tell myself, 'I can't get set on here before looking at everywhere else.' But I kind of did.
"I want to become an archeologist. Sounds a little bit crazy, but it's something that I'm really passionate about."
And she already has some experience.
"I've done underwater archeology through the US Navy Sea Cadet Corps," Coyne said. "I did wreck diving in Lake Huron with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration."
Go figure, the swimming skills came in handy.
"It all comes together," Coyne joked, and added that it's actually just a neat coincidence. "You don't have to be that strong of a swimmer. You just have to float."
But if anyone ever wants to race to the bottom, there's no doubt who would win.