The smell of chlorine is in the air, heavily embedded in the minds of the HSE Girls Swim and Dive team. The blow of the whistle as each teammate gets ready to take off into the pool every morning during practice. There’s one thing raining down heavily on every girl in the natatorium, the first meet of the season. Each girl is setting goals in their mind as they practice for not only themselves but for the team as well. The increasing stress and nervousness for this season is prominent in the pool, but not every girl in the room is worried about just this season, some are worried about what happens after they swim their final race in high school.  

Some girls, like HSE high school junior Kiley Zoeller, have begun to look at each and every college, hoping to find the one that will guarantee them a future for their swimming career. As a junior, Kiley’s recruiting process has already begun.  

As Kiley says, “I usually schedule a few phone calls every week or so with colleges.” 

 The recruiting process is heavy on Kiley Zoeller, hoping to secure the future for herself and her teammates. As the season starts up, putting the stress aside to not affect her teammates has been an important factor for Zoeller. Having a supportive group has played a major effect in keeping the stress to a minimum,  

“I have a really good group of support, especially my coaches, they’ve been so helpful throughout this whole process they’ve talked to coaches for me, they’ve helped me know what to expect and I also have some teammates going through a similar process recruiting so I can talk to them.” 

Having a strong support system has made this season a lot easier for Kiley and her teammates. Finding they can confide in each other, has allowed the team to form a closer bond and relieve any unwanted stress.  

Along with teammates, Kiley’s family supporting her every step of the way has been a big help in improving herself as a swimmer,  

“My dad’s very excited for this swimming season, he always is. My whole family is excited and they’re always there to support me in everything I do.” 

 During the recruitment process, support is the number one thing that every athlete needs to make sure they can perform at their best. Kiley receiving support from teammates, friends and family has been a key to her success as a swimmer. With each upcoming season, Kiley faces more and more things to worry about. Making sure this stress doesn’t affect her season is a tough task to accomplish, but with support and guidance, the stress doesn’t seem so significant,  

“I don’t think the stress has really affected me or my teammates,” Kiley says,” We all receive a lot of support from one another which has definitely made it easier. I know that with my team, no matter how hard things are with recruitment and this season, they’ll always be there to support me.”