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Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
(article posted by Lauren Brightmore, Student Sports Information Assistant)
Feb. 7, 2011 - Washing away the competition this season is North Central College junior Katie Stratton. As a member of the women's swimming and diving team, Stratton has made waves in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke events. In fact, just last season Stratton took the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) crown in both races. Her times in the 100 (1:06.19) and 200-yard breaststroke (2:25.91) also set new school records and met the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships 'B' qualifying standard.
This season, Stratton has continued to coast through the water. She finished first at the Carthage College Invitational in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:08.68), and second in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:31.71). She hopes reach the national 'A' standard for both events going into the CCIW Championships next week.
When she's not competing for the College, Stratton helps coach boys' and girls' swimming at her alma mater, Naperville North High School. As a health and physical education major, she also assists with the yearly Health and Physical Education Convention, held locally for teachers and educators. Having transferred from Western Illinois University last year, Stratton has returned to her hometown roots, proving that there really is no place like home.
Get to Know Katie Stratton
Q: Why did you decide to come to North Central College?
A: I literally live down the street from the college, and for years, I never thought I would come here. And when I was transferring, I started to contact different schools and North Central just caught my eye. I swam for a Division I college, but then I had the idea that maybe, through all my injuries and obstacles, Division III athletics were for me. I then contacted our head coach Mark Broucek, and immediately after talking to him knew I was going to transfer here. And from the moment I started classes, I knew it was the best decision I ever made. I sometimes laugh thinking how I ended up at North Central, right down the street from my house.
Q: When did you begin swimming?
A: I started competitively swimming at the age of seven with the Naperville Park District. By the age of eight, though, I joined the B.R. Ryall YMCA Swim Team, and continued swimming there throughout my career. That was the club team where all my training came from.
Q: This past December, the North Central swim team went on a training trip to Costa Rica. What was that experience like?
A: It was the best training trip I ever had. The training was tough, but what's great about our team is that we motivate one another. We usually have a training buddy so we can push one another at practice. On the trip, we quickly learned the difficulties of going abroad without knowing a second language. Everyone spoke Spanish, and since most of us didn't, we had our assistant coach Mark Schmitt '06 translate for us. The Asociación Brumosa de Natación, the club team we competed against, were extremely talented, especially their younger swimmers. Overall, the trip was really positive and very motivational.
Q: Last season you hit the national 'B' standard for both the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke. What was it like to accomplish this feat in your first season at North Central?
A: It was incredible and unexpected. I had just transferred in, with just a month of training here, and was thrilled to win both my events at conference. Hitting the NCAA B-cut was kind of the cherry on top. I was really proud of what I had done. The preparation from years of swimming just came through at the end, so it was pretty cool.
Q: What is the hardest part about swimming?
A: The intense dedication it takes. Day in and day out, you have to be mentally and physically prepared. More importantly though is that mental focus. Without it, your swim will be affected in a negative way, even if the training is there. The college swimming season is incredibly long, August through nationals in March. Because of the long season, it can be hard to see the end result. You need to put in the effort in those early months to be where you want at conference time.
Q: Do you have any pre-meet rituals before you race?
A: Right before I get up on the block, I adjust my goggle straps like 20 to 30 times. My goggle straps have to be twisted because I have this fear of them falling off.
Q: What are your goals for the season?
A: I want to make the 'A' standard for the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships in both the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke. I'd also like to shatter the school record I set last year in those events. As far as technique, it would be really nice to kill the turns for the underwaters and go as hard as I can for the length of the race. As for the team, we want to finish in the top four at conference. Last year was difficult to do this with such a small team, but this year we have a solid relay, and our team has gotten a lot bigger.
Q: What team would you love to beat?
A: It would be great to beat Carthage College. They have so many good swimmers and their facility is amazing. Even though we don't have a great pool or a big team, we still have talented swimmers. It would be nice for once just to beat Carthage.
Q: What extracurricular activities are you involved in?
A: On campus, I help with the Health and Physical Education Convention each year. It's a huge all day convention for teachers. We also started a new swim program for kids at North Central this year. It's a non-competitive swim team for children who are not yet ready to face the stresses of the swimming world. I have outside campus roles as well. I volunteer at Naperville North High School as an assistant swim coach. A lot of my time is spent at the high school.
Q: How are you able to balance swimming with academics and your own personal time?
A: I am a huge schedule keeper and write every little detail down for my days and weeks. I plan about a month ahead of time, just because my schedule can change very quickly. This year is one of my busiest, so I just remind myself why I'm doing the things I do, and that there is a purpose behind each thing. I just keep following the schedule,
Q: Are you a Michael Phelps fan?
A: I was never a diehard Michael Phelps fan, or a put-pictures-of-him-up-in-your-locker kind of girl. Still, I always looked up to him as any normal swimmer would because of the talent he had, and the hard work he did in the water. We used to swim against each other at senior nationals and the US open together when I was 15.
Q: Have you ever done any sports other than swimming?
A: I've played volleyball and soccer over the years, however, I think any sport that involves coordination with a ball (basketball or softball) is a no-go for me. Swimming doesn't take hand-eye coordination and continuing with a ball sport would take a lot more skill practice for me than swimming would.
Q: If you could pick anyone in the world, who would you swim with for a 200-yard medley relay?
A: Natalie Coughlin (backstroke), Misty Hyman (butterfly), and Janet Evans (freestyle). I would swim breaststroke.
Q: Would you ever try swimming across the English Channel?
A: I have a fear of deep water, so the English Channel is probably out. My whole team makes fun of me for this. Any time oceans are involved, I'm terrified. In Costa Rica, I went into the ocean because there were coral reefs and was pretty shallow.
Q: What are your plans after college?
A: I'm a health and physical education major, so I would love to teach health at the high school or college level. The subject affects everyone, and there is a lack of health knowledge among teens and even young adults. I really want to make an impact on young people's lives. They need to know about their health and what affects them, because pretty soon they're going to have their own families and will need to pass information onto their own kids. I just feel like it is very important to today's society.
Q: Who inspires you?
A: I have a few. The first person is my old B.R. Ryall club coach, Andy Rose. He passed away just over a year ago, and it was really tough for me. He was my role model and we talked about everything whether it was swimming, academics, or just life in general. He was such a positive person in my life, and inspired me to be more than just a swimmer. He's the reason I still swim. I do it for him.
My mom also inspires me. She's been there for me after years of swimming, coming to every meet. She always wants to see me do well. My younger sister inspires me too. Who she is and her influence on the people she interacts with is incredible.
