How did you get to compete in the Junior World Championship? 

The qualification meet was at the USA Nationals, and they took the top age 18-and-under swimmers in the country. I made it in the 400-yards event, which is my best event. The competition I then went into was the Junior World Championships, consisting of the best juniors in the world for each event. The USA team had two people for each event so in total, the boys team had 26 swimmers. 

In what event did you compete in it? How have your scores been in events like those?

In this type of meet, there’s a competition of that level, there’s prelims and then there are finals. So prelims is like qualifying. For my event, it was top eight that made it to finals, where you could get a second swim. That was where the winners and medalists were decided. So in prelims, I came in about second and qualified for the second seed, and in finals, I got fourth place. 

How did you prepare for your event, what did your practice look like?

It’s an event that requires a lot of fitness, and I have to be really good in every stroke. Leading up to nationals, I was in a different training group with a couple other people that went to the nationals. We were doing extra training and a couple extra practice times every week. We definitely pushed hard for nationals, and after I qualified from the Nationals meet we had a separate plan. We had about two months in between Nationals and Junior World. It wasn’t like too much time to start a new training cycle, but it was enough time for us to kind of get back to work immediately. I really focused on honing in on all the details that I know. I was reviewing my races from nationals a lot, and I figured out I need to work more on my backstroke, which is my weakest stroke.

Did you have any stress or pressure from competing?

This was my first competition for Team USA so it was definitely a lot of pressure. I had some nerves, but I just felt more confident once I really kind of got there (at competition) and was able to see the facilities I was surrounded by. We also had great support from the staff and coaches.

How does it feel to represent USA and be on the team that you were on?

There were always a lot of eyes on you as there’s a lot of people watching for the general public to the actual swim community representing the nation, the school and our communities. When I was up there, I just wanted to go all out and have fun competing. I also tried to learn as much as I could from just being at Junior Worlds. When I went for my first race, I just gave all that I had out in the pool. I didn’t really think too much. And having the entire team in the stands cheering for you, chanting “USA” and your name. I just knew they had my backs when I was swimming. So I had a great swim, a pretty big personal best as I ended up finishing fourth. 

What has your swimming career looked like?

I started swimming when I was probably about 5. My mom put me in lessons to learn how to swim and just for survival skills. But I realized I really like swimming. So for most of my life, I was swimming in Kentucky and I was on a couple of teams there. In the middle of freshman year, I moved to Carmel just because of the Carmel Swim Club. The coaching staff and all my training partners and facilities really helped me elevate to the next level. So I think the move definitely worked out for me. I’ve been swimming with Carmel for almost two years, so I’ve definitely had some rough seasons. I’ve learned to trust the coaches, trust the training and the process. So that’s really helped me get to where I am now. The season just started, so I’m definitely looking forward to the high school season and being able to win another State title.

What was your favorite moment from the competition?

My favorite part was definitely the walkout, because for team USA for swimming, there’s a tradition where if you make it to an international final, you can wear the black cap. Obviously only a couple of people in the world can wear that cap and when I made finals, and I was sitting in the ready room, I put on my cap, and I realized how far I’ve come to be able to wear this cap and to have this honor. Then for the walkout we come from the ready room, and you would walk out individually. They would show your name, your country and some details about you and a picture. So while I walked out,  I could just hear a whole crowd just cheering for me, chanting my name and just all going crazy.  I knew there were people from home watching as well. Pulling the American flag, wearing it and then going to the block, and everyone’s going crazy. I think that was definitely the coolest experience for me. I realized how far I’ve come to be able to compete at this level.

What’s next?

Junior Worlds is not the end goal. It’s intended to be a stepping stone, or is to be making the U.S. National Team and the Olympics eventually. So this meet has kind of served as a learning experience for me. I was able to compete with the best juniors in the world, watch them swim, compete with them and see how things are done at the highest level, from nutrition to how you should approach your race mentally. 

The next step is definitely to try to make the national team or the Olympic team. In 2028 that will probably be the goal, I’ll definitely be working toward this high school season and leading up to swimming in college. 

Anything else you would like to add? 

I guess I just think this meet really helped me inspire, although I had a good result, it still inspired me to keep working harder and move toward the next step. I just want to be the best. I want to win after seeing what I can do. I think this meet was definitely a great experience, but it’s not the end of my journey.