Junior Caroline Bridges(left) uses a water bottle to playfully
squirt senior teammate Emily Weber (right)
during a break in practice. Weber and Bridges swam
together on the 800-freestyle relay that placed fifth at nationals last season.
SAM CARAVANA / THE DEPAUW
At the end of high school, current DePauw senior Emily Weber knew she wasn’t done with swimming. She knew she had a lot more to give to the sport that she had loved since the age of four. DePauw turned out to be the perfect place for Weber to do so.
“Swimming at DePauw is one of the best things that has happened to me,” said Weber. “I have learned to push myself beyond my limits and learn more about myself individually.”
For most college athletes, freshman year serves as a transition period for many things, including the need to adapt to the mindset and personality of a new coach. Weber has gone through this “adaption” multiple times throughout her collegiate career, something that’s not too easy to do.
“Each year on the swim team has been different,” Weber said. “I have gone through three different coaches, resulting in each year becoming a new rebuilding year. [This] year has been the first year where I have had the same coach, so we have an idea of what to expect.”
In just his second year as head coach, Ben Hewitt has already seen a significant development in Weber.
“Her mindset is ‘big picture,’” Hewitt said. “She wanted to achieve something on the national stage versus just [being] there. She wanted to improve versus just be happy with what she’s done. That’s a powerful thing.”
As a senior captain, Weber individually swims in the 200-meter 500-meter, 1000-meter, and 1650-meter freestyle, as well as swimming the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle on relays.
For a sport that already demands non-stop dedication with 6 a.m. workouts, three hour Saturday practices, and a season that lasts from pre-season training in September until the start of Nationals in March, Weber pushes herself to the max.
“She’ll step up and do back-to-back events when that’s required of her,” Hewitt said. “She can handle a whole lot … probably too much at times, and we have to take a step back and say, ‘It’s okay, we’re going to be good’”.
Emily Weber
THE DEPAUW
But Weber’s selflessness is never lost on her teammates, let alone the whole team.
“Being a freshman last year, I really looked up to Emily as a swimmer and as a person,” sophomore Kirsten Olson said. “She is always putting 100 percent into practice … and is really good at … pushing me to be better.”
Junior Erin Horne, who swam the 800-meter relay with Olson and Weber in one of the Tigers’ meets last Friday, agrees.
“In the pool, Emily is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever trained with,” Horne said. “She is a fabulous motivator behind the block when we’re getting ready for big events.”
The chemistry that Weber has helped establish among the team has been a key part in the Tigers’ improvement over the past few seasons.
“We are much more competitive and hungry for competition,” said Weber. “I have enjoyed going through this journey with my teammates. Although we may swim individual events, we cannot go through the season alone because we are one team.”
Outside of swimming, Weber takes advantage of other opportunities DePauw has to offer. She is a major in Kinesiology with an Education Studies minor, a member of Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity and CATS (Chapter Advised Trained Students).
While having accomplished so much in her athletic career at the college level, Weber still wants to do more.
“As a senior … I am looking forward to ending my career on a high note,” Weber said. “I want to leave a mark on this program and to leave with no regrets.”