By Rachel Ewart, Swimming World College Intern
Freshman Kayla Sproles was one of the top scorers on Northern State University’s swim team this season. During her first year at college, this balanced student-athlete snatched four school records while managing a 4.0 GPA.
Getting Her Feet Wet
Sproles is from Sioux Falls, South Dakota where she joined swimming at age 10. During her first season she only competed in two swim meets and was able to achieve state qualifying times.
“I was slightly lost in a whole new world,” Sproles said. “By joining the swim team I felt like I had a door of opportunities opened right in front of me and it was exciting.”
Sproles saw success when she first began, but generally felt out of the loop since she started swimming later than most of her competitors. But her late start did not hinder her from working hard. Within her first four years of swimming, Sproles qualified for the state meet, Zones and Speedo Sectionals. She was also the first person in the history of her club team to achieve an AAAA time and a Sectionals cut.
Photo Courtesy: Ken Sproles
Team-First Swimming
For Sproles, college swimming at Northern State University was much different than club swimming, but she appreciated the change and didn’t hold back when it came to difficult practices.
“I had a subconscious drive that pushed me to work even harder than I did in club swimming,” Sproles said. “I think the atmosphere of being able to compete for a close-knit team, which is like a family, added so many levels of motivation.”
Sproles believes doing the same workouts, experiencing the similar stresses of class and living away from home contribute to the bonding of a college team. Forming those tight-knit relationships fueled Sproles to train her hardest, not just for her own success, but for the team’s as well.
In addition to forming close relationships, one of Sproles’ favorite moments of the season was the 200 freestyle relay at conference.
“We all swam our hearts out and left everything in the pool. The moment the anchor touched the wall, we lifted our heads to the clock and knew we had broken the school record,” Sproles said. “It was so rewarding to see the excitement in the eyes of my teammates after that race. I wouldn’t trade that moment for anything.”
Chasing Seasonal Goals
Northen State’s head swim coach Elyce Kastigar affirms that Sproles is not afraid to put in the effort to improve in technical aspects of the sport. Kastigar predicts that throughout the next few years, Sproles will break a few more school records and also shatter her best times from this season.
“A few of Kayla’s goals for the 2014-2015 season included, getting a 4.0 GPA, studying hard for tests and improving in her swimming,” Kastigar said. “She accomplished all three of those goals and I think she even surprised herself with some of the incredible improvements she made.”
Kastigar believes that a successful athlete is one who is engaged in and excited about the program, the coach, and the team. Sproles embodies that exact excitement, and is a wonderful example of how a student-athlete can perform well in both academics and sports.
“Having a great first season has definitely encouraged me and given me a new optimistic view of what I can achieve,” Sproles said. “It showed me that with determination I can accomplish goals beyond what I could have ever imagined.”
Photo Courtesy: Greg Smith
Kayla, OMGoodness!!!! So proud of you! Carry on! You are amazing!