Women's Swimming and Diving | 2/16/2015 1:07:00 PM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
(article posted by Emily Zadny, Student Sports Information Assistant)

Feb. 16, 2015 - From a young age, North Central College sophomore Julie Albright knew the pool was the place for her.
 
At the age of three, Albright's parents started her in swim lessons and by the time she was five, she was on a competitive club team.
 
For the Naperville native, choosing a school only a few minutes away had its perks. She also follows in her older siblings footsteps as they attended North Central and enjoyed their four years at the College.
 
While academics also played a role in her choice to attend the college, being able to swim collegiately was an added plus. For Albright, swimming means more than simply diving into the pool and racing to beat the clock. It's a way to unwind and do something she loves.
 
 "Swimming gives me an escape from the world," said Albright. "When I'm swimming, it's just the water and me. I'm free to think and it's a good stress reliever."
 
In addition to feeling free, Albright also is fortunate to have wonderful teammates by her side at the blocks.
 
"The thing that I enjoy most about swimming here at North Central is the team and all of the close friendships that I have made," said Albright. "It's a great feeling to know that my teammates will always have my back, both in and out of the pool."
 
When she's not in the pool, Albright is involved on campus.  She is a member of Psi Chi, the psychology honor society, which is a great way to get involved in her major.
She admits, though, that being a student athlete isn't always glamorous and easy. It takes a lot of focus to stay on top of everything going on in the day.
 
"Being a student athlete has allowed me to meet other athletes, as well as develop time management," said Albright. "I have to allow so much time for practice, coaching, and class, which has made me better at managing schoolwork."
 
And she seems to be handling it well: last season, she posted the team's best times in the 200-yard freestyle and 200-year backstroke at the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Fall Classic, on top of being named to the Academic All-CCIW team.
 
This season, she demonstrated her skills outside of the United States' soil, placing first in both the 100 and 200-meter backstroke at the Barbados National Championships in December on the team's winter training trip.
"Every winter, the team goes on a training trip and every four years, we travel to another country," said Albright. "This past year, we went to Barbados, where we got to experience a lot of things, besides swimming. Some of the amazing opportunities we had were helping hatch baby sea turtles, learning to surf, touring the island, snorkeling around sunken ships, and participating in the 'Run Barbados' one-mile running race."
 
Albright and her team closed out the season at the CCIW Championships this past weekend. She helped the Cardinals post a fifth-place finish in the 4-by-200-yard freestyle relay and a sixth-place showing the 4-by-50-yard free relay, in addition to 10^th-place finishes in the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events.