Junior Rachael Kurtz joined an exclusive club of three Hillsdale swimmers when she earned the distinction of a Division II All-American swimmer at the national meet on March 12-15.
The last Charger to earn such an accolade was Linda Okonkowski in 2011, and before her, Colleen Pickard in 2002.
Since Kurtz arrived at Hillsdale, her goal has been to compete at nationals. Kurtz made her dream come true by competing in the meet.
But Kurtz did much more than merely compete; she set yet another school record in the 50-meter freestyle when she swam 23.19 in a swim-off because she tied for 8th in the prelims. She went on to achieve All-American honors by tying for 7th overall with a time of 23.43. Rachel’s heat was stiff with competition. Three girls dipped under the 23-second barrier. Kurtz’s new school record is a very impressive time, as no other Hillsdale swimmer has even broke 25 seconds this season.
Girls who have traditionally been Rachel’s opponents became her friends at the competition.
“I got to swim alongside some wonderful athletes and feel the support of not only Hillsdale College supporters, but the entire GLIAC. Coaches and swimmers throughout our conference become very supportive at nationals. The GLIAC is the fastest championship in NCAA Division II swimming, and to maintain that high standard, the coaches and swimmers like to support each other,” she said.
Kurtz was pleased with how things ended up this season, but is definitely not complacent with where she is.
“I am very happy with my time improvement this year, but I don’t want to stop improving. I am hoping to keep the momentum for next season. My time right now in the 50 free is a 23.19 and I’ve made it a personal goal to break the 23 second mark,” she said.
Coach Kirner was very happy with how Kurtz swam.
“She has consistently improved year after year. She is very coachable, and has made jumps by leaps and bounds,” he said. “Rachael has a great ability to hit the turn (the halfway point of the race) and bring it home. This time, she was able to do that against some of the best athletes in the country.”
This season ended on a very high note for Kurtz, and after a bit of recovery time off, she will start working hard again for next year.
