By James Bossert, Swimming World College Intern
A lot of high school athletes participate in multiple sports throughout the school year. Some of them even continue on to collegiate athletics in one of their sports. Very rarely do athletes compete in multiple sports at the collegiate level, much less during the same season. Football players have played baseball for example, but those seasons are not at the same time. Chatham University’s Alexis Rectenwald has them all beat.
Growing up, Rectenwald swam during the summer on a summer league team and danced competitively. She started swimming full-time in eighth grade after deciding that dancing wasn’t her love anymore. When her future high school diving coach heard she had been a dancer, he convinced her to try diving.
Photo Courtesy: Chatham Athletics
“I loved it immediately.” Rectenwald said.
Before long, she was at the pool for four to six hours a day switching between high school swimming, club swimming and high school diving practices.
She decided to focus on diving her freshman year at Chatham, but that did not last long. At the last meet of the year, another swimmer got sick so head coach Tilly Sheets, knowing she swam in high school, asked Rectenwald to swim on the 400 free relay.
“It was the 400 free relay, the last event of the meet,” Rectenwald remembers. “I agreed to swim and went a 1:01, almost breaking a minute after not swimming for almost a year. Coach convinced me to start swimming again my sophomore year, and I have to admit that I missed it and am so glad to be swimming again.”
To say that she is excelling in both sports would be an understatement. At the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) championships, she won the conference title in the one meter diving competition, qualifying for the NCAA regional competition.
She did not stop after PACs as she competed at the diving regional and was named the one meter alternate for the NCAA Division III Championships.
Already this year, she has broken her own school record for six dives on the one meter, as well as being named the PAC Women’s Swimmer/Diver of the Week this week for her performance at the Wooster Invitational. She broke her own invitational record in the one meter competition with her win while also winning the three meter competition and finishing 43rd in the 100 free.
Even still, she has her eyes set on more records.
“I swam the leadoff leg of the 200 free relay at the Wooster Invitational and went a 25.41. Our team record is 25.21. It would be a great accomplishment to have both a swimming and diving record at Chatham.”
How many people can say they hold collegiate records in both swimming and diving? None that we can find.
Photo Courtesy: Jeanine Leech/Chatham
When asked which sport is harder, Rectenwald just shakes her head.
“I find that very difficult to answer,” Rectenwald said. “They are both very hard but in completely different ways. Diving is more mentally difficult for me because some dives are scary. Swimming is more of a race against yourself and clock. There is only so much you can do before you really hurt your body.”
The mental transition is not hard for her either. At one meet this year, she swam the 100 free right after she dove the one meter event and she performed pretty well in both.
Being a dual athlete takes a lot of time and commitment.
“I need to schedule my day and stick to that schedule or I just get lost in everything I have to do.”
As she is working toward her degree in Accounting, she finds that having such a busy schedule actually helps.
“My schedule is incredibly busy but I still find time to relax, have fun, and get all of my work done,” Rectenwald said. “It helps that I have professors who understand my busy athletic schedule and they are willing to work with me and around any conflicts that arise from swimming or diving. I also am a lifeguard for Chatham’s pool, and that fits into my schedule as well. “
Here is her workout schedule for a typical week:
Sunday: 5:00-7:30 pm Crossfit and swim
Monday: 4:30-6:00 pm diving
Tuesday: 6:15-8:00 am swim. 8:15-9:00 am Crossfit. 4:30-6:00 pm diving.
Wednesday: Rest day.
Thursday: 6:15-8:00 am swim. 8:15-9:00 am Crossfit. 4:30-6:00 pm diving.
Friday: 4:30-6:00 pm diving.
Saturday: Usually had a meet or another rest day.
After college, Rectenwald plans on completing her Masters of Accounting degree while also becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), with the ultimate dream of becoming a Chief Financial Officer one day.
But for now, Rectenwald is focused on defending her conference title, picking up another title on the three meter board, qualifying for the Division III National Championship meet on the boards and being the two star athlete she has become.
Rectenwald and her Chatham teammates return to campus December 28 in preparation for the PAC Championships February 12-14, 2015.
James Bossert is a senior captain IM/backstroker at Grove City College. Bossert is in the top 10 in school history in the 100 back, 200 back and 200 IM. Previously, he swam for 10 years with Falfins Swimming and has moved on to join the merged Colorado Springs Aquatics program that put Falfins and the Colorado Springs Swim Team together.