By Rachel Ewart, Swimming World College Intern
Senior Alex Bryson has accomplished many incredible goals in his college swimming career. Swimming has given Bryson character and allowed him to translate his prominent leadership skills into the classroom.
Swimming Career
Bryson began swim lessons when he was six years old. After someone recommended giving the swim team a try, it didn’t take long for him to become attached to the sport. After years of actively engaging in competitive swimming, Bryson decided to swim at the collegiate level.
“St. Cloud State was not on my radar for a long time when I was searching for schools, but one of my coaches at the Y convinced me to take a look at it,” Bryson said.
Talking with head coach Jeff Hegle about the school and the swimming program was enough to convince Bryson to come visit and later commit to the school.
Bryson believes that coming to St. Cloud was one of the best decisions he’s ever made, and has seen a tremendous amount of progress in his swimming since high school.
“After reviewing my times, Coach Hegle intended for me to swim distance right away and I saw it was a good decision,” Bryson said. “As I set goal times in my distance events and beat them significantly, coach pushed me harder in training and also had me set faster goal times.”
His freshmen year Bryson qualified for Division II NCAAs in the 1650 freestyle, which he considered to be his breakout moment in college swimming. During his sophomore year, Bryson had outstanding swims in both the 1000 freestyle (9:14) and 1650 freestyle (15:30), which he earned All-American honors in at NCAAs. During his junior year he bettered his 500 freestyle time to a 4:26 and his 1650 freestyle to a 15:22. He once again earned All-American status in both the 500 and 1650 freestyle.
Bryson currently holds school records in the 200, 500, 1000 and 1650 freestyle, and also in the 200 and 400 IM.
Leadership Roles
In addition to being a successful collegiate swimmer and student, Bryson has balanced several positions of authority at St. Cloud. He is the president of Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) and the vice president of student government.
Coach Hegle is very appreciative of Byrson’s work ethic in the pool and is supportive of the positive example he has set through leadership positions.
“Alex is obviously a very talented athlete and has raised the competitive level and expectations of distance swimmers,” Hegle said. “He is a dedicated hard worker and an excellent student leader on campus, setting an example for all the other student-athletes.”
Bryson has also been swim team captain for two years, a position that allows him to exemplify qualities which many athletes strive to obtain.
“Having additional roles on campus other than just being a student-athlete has allowed me to meet so many more people that I otherwise would not have met, which is my favorite part of any role I have filled since coming to St. Cloud State,” Bryson said.
These leadership positions have given Bryson a new appreciation for the administrators, faculty, coaches and other employees at the university.
“The more involved I am, the more I want to impact others and allow them to see what a great place SCSU is,” Bryson said.
“Alex has impacted many people with his involvement with a variety of different groups,”
Coach Hegle affirmed. “He’s very active in his engineering field as well, and always seems to have a positive attitude about everything he does.”
Balancing all the roles is difficult at times for Bryson, but a good swim workout in the middle of busy days helps him to relax and take some stress off.
“Coach Hegle has done a great job of helping me stay focused on the appropriate priorities,” Bryson said. “I know doing well in school is just as important as success in the pool. When big meets come around, I don’t let my other activities take away from my swimming.”
Photo Courtesy: St. Cloud State Athletics
The Impact of Swimming
Bryson believes that swimming has many benefits to it, including forming character and also honing leadership skills.
“In swimming you learn the importance of a positive attitude, how to support others, how to take criticism and even how to be a teacher (especially with younger teammates),” Bryson said. “Looking back to what I was like when I first started swimming for SCSU, I can hardly believe how much I have grown because of my participation with this team.”
As the talented senior finishes up his collegiate swimming career, he has come to truly appreciate every aspect of the sport.
“Swimming has been the constant in my life for the last 16 years. I will probably be lost for a while after the season ends,” Bryson said. “For me, swimming is therapeutic. I love everything about the sport and I am more comfortable on a pool deck than anywhere else.”
Swimming has transformed Bryson’s life and allowed him to apply his leadership skills while influencing his team and everyone around him.
After graduation, Bryson plans to find a job as a mechanical engineer and possibly train for Olympic Trials in 2016.
another great swimmer and student athlete out of the FVA