Having a support system is crucial for all successful people. For siblings Sloane (‘27) and Meredith (Mere) Whelehan (‘25), being able to lean on each other has led to many great accomplishments.
Since each sibling began swimming at five years old, they have both come remarkably far from their recreational summer swim beginnings. Mere began her athletic career swimming in a neighborhood summer league in New Jersey. Nowadays, Mere is a committed college athlete, signed to swim at the University of Tennessee next year. Sloane shares similar aspirations to swim for an SEC or ACC school.
In addition to her recent commitment to Tennesse, older sibling Mere reflected on her and Sloane’s proudest moments together. Mere claimed, “This year at States was definitely one of my favorites. It was really fun to have Sloane there with me… she swam as a freshman. We got second overall, and we both did well in our individual events, so I’d say my placement and going over and giving her a hug after my race were all good moments.” For Sloane, being able to support her sister and receiving the same support in return have been key moments in her athletic career so far.
But this success doesn’t come easily. Over the years, the bond between the siblings has been an integral part of their athletic journeys. Both siblings discussed how their support of each other impacts their performance with Mere saying “Swimming takes up a lot of time. When I’m with my sister it just makes it better.” Sloane also commented on this topic: “Being so close with Mere is especially helpful when I’m going through tough times because if she’s been through them already, she’s had experience and shows me how to get through them.” With the guidance of her older sister, Sloane is bound to follow in Mere’s footsteps and achieve the goals she laid out for herself.
The sisters’ bond extends outside the pool to their day-to-day life. Not only are the Whelehans siblings, but they are also each other’s friends. Outside of school, Mere says, “We’ll do anything together. We’ll watch TV or get food or whatever because we have the same interests and just like hanging out together.” Knowing that your sister isn’t just your partner in sports but also a friend in life is yet another component of the siblings’ success.
The Whelehan sisters don’t just rely on each other, the role of their parents has been equally as influential thus far. Mere said, “They’re really supportive about swim and have never made us do anything we didn’t want to. I feel like that made us want to do it ourselves rather than them forcing us to do it.” Sloane can also attest to this saying, “They have always supported us throughout whatever and encouraged us to do what we want.” This family support has helped the Whelehan sisters reach great heights, as both sisters are top 5 recruits in North Carolina.
Both Mere and Sloane are essential parts of the Green Hope swim team, and their special bond as siblings has been a large part of their success. This bond truly makes the two of them super siblings.
