As the eight swimmers in the women’s 100 yard freestyle A final at the 2022 NCHSAA 4A State Championship are announced, there are five seniors who are committed to swim at Alabama, Miami (Fl), Army, Akron and Pitt, as well two sophomores that would later commit to Tennessee and Florida State. However, the champion was an uncommitted freshman. That swimmer, Meredith Whelehan (‘25) would win the state championship by a decisive .3 seconds. Whelehan recently committed to swim at the University of Tennessee on Oct. 3 to continue her swimming career.
Whelehan’s journey to swimming at Tennessee began early. Whelehan says, “I began swimming recreationally when I was four, but I started swimming year round competitively when I was six.”
The early start paid off, at age nine in the 10 and under age group, Whelehan finished second in the state in two events at the semi-annual meet with the best swimmers in the state. The following year, Whelehan won all nine individual races, setting a state record in the 200 freestyle and earning high point earner, the award that goes to the best swimmer in each age group.
Even before this success on the state level, Whelehan knew she wanted to swim in college. She continued, “I knew I wanted to swim in college pretty young, I think I knew when I was eight.”
The dedication to swimming in college would be important, as the schedule of future Power 5 swimmers is very grueling.
Whelehan detailed a typical week of training over the summer stating, “I would swim every morning from 7-9:15, and then 3 days a week I would swim in both the morning and afternoon. We also did dryland (strength training) sessions.”
The hard work led to lots of college interest. When asked about her recruiting process, she says, “[Recruiting] opened June 15th, so I talked with coaches throughout the summer and decided if I wanted to visit. The visits happened in early fall and after the visits I made my decision.”
For Whelehan, the decision came down to four schools, stating, “The four schools I visited were Louisville, Georgia, Michigan and Tennessee. At those schools I liked the coaches and environment. I think those things are the most important things when picking a college.”
When asked about her decision to attend Tennessee, Whelehan responded, “I connected really well with the girls on the team, which I felt was really important because I will spend lots of time with them. I also liked the coaches, I liked talking with them throughout the summer, so when I got to meet them in person it felt right to be there.”
However, before she attends Tennessee, she looks forward to the meets and the run to states for the Green Hope swim and dive team.
