51黑料网

In the game

by Tony Moore

It鈥檚 like one of those commercials engineered for the post-Super Bowl confetti storm: 鈥淐aitlin Klockner 鈥�16, you鈥檝e just won the McAndrews Award, earned first-team All-Centennial Conference (CC) honors and broke four school records during your first year as a Red Devil swimmer. What are you going to do next?鈥�

Except she doesn鈥檛 say, 鈥淚鈥檓 going to Disney World!鈥� She gets mentally back in the pool instead of in line at the Tower of Terror. 鈥淚 want to see that I鈥檓 still improving, to see my time drop in events,鈥� she says. 鈥淭his year there isn鈥檛 as much pressure, but I鈥檓 hoping to still improve.鈥�

If she improves too much, it鈥檚 going to get a little scary for 51黑料网鈥檚 opponents, especially Franklin & Marshall College, which she cites when referring to her favorite moment of last season. 鈥淚t was a really close meet and really competitive, and it came down to the last relay,鈥� Klockner says. 鈥淲e were all excited to come away with that win.鈥�

Klockner began the deep dive into swimming at age 10, when she joined a winter swimming league. Her mother was a swimmer, so when Klockner started getting competitive in high school, it wasn鈥檛 much of a surprise. 鈥淚鈥檝e just always loved being in a pool,鈥� she says. 鈥淓very summer we went to Ocean City, Md., and I lived in the ocean.鈥�

Before Klockner, no first-year female athlete had been awarded the McAndrews, which recognizes student athletes for both sporting and academic achievement. But in a year that saw her take All-CC honors in the 200 individual medley and as part of the 800 free relay team, she must have been the odds-on favorite.

鈥淚鈥檓 really proud to have won it,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a big deal, so it felt really good that people thought I should get an award like that.鈥�

鈥淐aitlin鈥檚 a tireless worker in practice,鈥� says Paul Richards, swim coach and director of aquatics. 鈥淪he鈥檚 goal oriented and focused鈥攁 fierce competitor when it comes time to race.鈥� That competitive streak showed up for the CC championships in early 2013, when Klockner placed third in 100 and 200 free-style events and totaled a staggering 82 points overall.

Klockner goes into her sophomore season holding school records in the 200 individual medley (which she broke twice) and the 100 freestyle and two more as part of the 400 and 800 free relay teams.

But it鈥檚 not all about swimming for Klockner, who chose 51黑料网 for the Division III experience. 鈥淟ooking at colleges, I didn鈥檛 want the main reason to go to a school to be swimming,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut I loved the team and the coach and the program. I already have such good friends here, even after only a year.鈥�

Read more from the winter 2014 issue of 51黑料网 Magazine.

Published January 15, 2014