Claire Dobrydney, a Saint Joe sophomore, is the only swimmer on the Saint Joe swim team to compete in state finals this year. Claire gives us a little insight in the world of academics and the things she likes to do outside of swimming.

Claire was inspired to start the sport because her older sister was a swimmer: “When she started swimming I knew I wanted to follow in her footsteps.”

She competed in events 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle at the state meet. Claire’s favorite event to swim is the 1650 freestyle also known as the mile. She started swimming at age 4. Her two older brothers inspire her the most because they are both d1 athletes and is very proud of them, and looks up to them in her athletic career. She strives to be like them and eventually become a division 1 athlete for swim. Her favorite memory from her last two years of swim was  freshman year sectionals when she got to swim with her sister, Jackie, in a relay. They podiumed and placed second, and it was a great way to finish the season says Dobrydney.

Claire does plan on swimming in college, but is not quite sure where she will go yet. She is very excited to start the recruitment process this summer and hope to end up on either the east or west coast. She is also apart of the RHMC and Hope Club at Saint Joe. How she balances school work as a student athlete is she makes sure to use her flex time wisely and work on her homework in chunks, so she does not overwork herself. She likes to balance time for swim and for school work.

Advice she has for people who want to join the swim team: “I would say it’s a great sport to try out even if you’ve never done it before, as we have many different experience levels on the team. While it can be mentally challenging, it’s very rewarding and I love the team at St. Joe.”