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FEDERAL WAY, Wash. - Eight years ago, Kasia Norman knew swimming was in her future, despite not having a high school team.
At Black River High School in Holland, she was in a class of aroud 60 with limited athletic teams, so she joined the Michigan Lakeshore Aquatics club and her career took off.
Norman became a U.S. Junior National Championships qualifier and ended up landing a scholarship to swim at Alabama, a top 20 program in the NCAA.
Last week, Norman concluded her career with her first individual swim at the NCAA Division I Championships, something she has worked so hard to achieve.
More: MLA's Kasia Norman preparing for turn of the Tide
More: Kasia Norman finally back in water — fit and fast
"I was so happy to be here. It was my first individual qualifying. My sophomore year I was an alternate, but I got to swim individually. It is the best feeling ever. I have dreamed of this moment. It is very full-circle for me from freshman year barely making SECs to qualifying for NCAAs as a senior and being top 35 in the country - it means a lot to me."
Norman finished 34th in the 100-yard breaststroke (59.82) at the NCAA Division I Championships. To put that into perspective, the Division III champion won in 1:00.13.
But Norman was on a bigger stage stacked with Olympians and record-breakers, something she will never forget.
"There was a lot of trial and error. It was about learning about who I am as a swimmer and a person. I feel like junior year was really hard for me, navigating a new coaching staff and new teammates and training partners," Norman said. "I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do, but senior year I switched to more breaststroke training and that really helped."
Then it was putting that training to use as she tuned up things in her stroke.
"I really focused on my pullouts because we noticed that it was a huge strength of mine. Even from SECs to NCAAs, I have worked on my breakout stroke and that has changed and tired me out a lot less," Norman said.
Norman will graduate with a degree in nutrition and was accepted into graduate school at Grand Valley State for clinical dietetics.
"The next step is becoming a registered dietitcian," she said.
And it all started as a quiet kid from a school without a swim team.
"Coming from a 60-kid grade class, the gym teacher didn't think swimming was a real sport. I needed to prove these people wrong. As a 15-year-old, making the finals at Junior Nationals, I realized I could do this. I wasn't sure if I wanted to swim in college and I didn't even know what NCAAs was," Norman said. "It has been amazing to think swimming has brought all of this. When I started long-course training at age 8, I couldn't even make it across the pool, but here I am at NCAAs. Anything is possible."
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’[email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Alabama's Kasia Norman ends stellar career at NCAA championships
Continue reading...
At Black River High School in Holland, she was in a class of aroud 60 with limited athletic teams, so she joined the Michigan Lakeshore Aquatics club and her career took off.
Norman became a U.S. Junior National Championships qualifier and ended up landing a scholarship to swim at Alabama, a top 20 program in the NCAA.
Last week, Norman concluded her career with her first individual swim at the NCAA Division I Championships, something she has worked so hard to achieve.
More: MLA's Kasia Norman preparing for turn of the Tide
More: Kasia Norman finally back in water — fit and fast
"I was so happy to be here. It was my first individual qualifying. My sophomore year I was an alternate, but I got to swim individually. It is the best feeling ever. I have dreamed of this moment. It is very full-circle for me from freshman year barely making SECs to qualifying for NCAAs as a senior and being top 35 in the country - it means a lot to me."
Norman finished 34th in the 100-yard breaststroke (59.82) at the NCAA Division I Championships. To put that into perspective, the Division III champion won in 1:00.13.
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But Norman was on a bigger stage stacked with Olympians and record-breakers, something she will never forget.
"There was a lot of trial and error. It was about learning about who I am as a swimmer and a person. I feel like junior year was really hard for me, navigating a new coaching staff and new teammates and training partners," Norman said. "I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do, but senior year I switched to more breaststroke training and that really helped."
Then it was putting that training to use as she tuned up things in her stroke.
"I really focused on my pullouts because we noticed that it was a huge strength of mine. Even from SECs to NCAAs, I have worked on my breakout stroke and that has changed and tired me out a lot less," Norman said.
Norman will graduate with a degree in nutrition and was accepted into graduate school at Grand Valley State for clinical dietetics.
You must be registered for see images
"The next step is becoming a registered dietitcian," she said.
And it all started as a quiet kid from a school without a swim team.
"Coming from a 60-kid grade class, the gym teacher didn't think swimming was a real sport. I needed to prove these people wrong. As a 15-year-old, making the finals at Junior Nationals, I realized I could do this. I wasn't sure if I wanted to swim in college and I didn't even know what NCAAs was," Norman said. "It has been amazing to think swimming has brought all of this. When I started long-course training at age 8, I couldn't even make it across the pool, but here I am at NCAAs. Anything is possible."
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’[email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Alabama's Kasia Norman ends stellar career at NCAA championships
Continue reading...
