SYRACUSE – Wawasee High School senior Brittany Robinson took a proactive approach when it came to looking for a swimming scholarship, and it paid off as she signed with the University of Louisville Monday. Through three seasons, and one meet this season, Robinson has only lost one individual race in the regular season, while making it to the state finals each year in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly. Though her numbers speak for themselves, Robinson was still aggressive when she went in search of a school. “(Indiana University) was the first to formally offer, and developed the biggest bond with Brittany,” Robinson’s mother, and coach, Julie Robinson said. “However, she continued to e-mail coaches through the early stages. For anyone looking for a scholarship, you have to take that approach.” By communicating with various coaches, Brittany had quite a few schools looking at her, including Louisville, Western Kentucky, Indiana and Purdue, but with the help of her parents, she narrowed it to Louisville and Purdue. Then, she opted to go with the Division I Louisville Cardinals in October. “The school is very good and the team is close and has a sense to commitment to do better,” Brittany said about choosing the Cardinals. While her parents helped her in the early stages of the recruiting process, the final decision was left up to Brittany. “Academics were first and she also wanted to go to a team that would allow her to grow in swimming,” her mother said. In three seasons, Brittany has won the Northern Lakes Conference and sectional titles in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly each year. Reaching the state finals, Robinson was eighth in the 50 free and seventh in the 100 fly as a freshman, fifth in the 50 free and third in the 100 fly her sophomore year, then placed sixth in the 50 free and second in the 100 fly last year. The success in state competition has also helped Robinson on the national scene, as she was named a National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association all-american in the 100 fly the past three years, as well as in the 50 free as a sophomore. Despite the success she’s had in the free, she’s dropping it this season to swim the 100 backstroke, but neither stroke is what she’s going to focus on at Louisville. “They’re looking at her for the butterfly and a few other events,” Julie Robinson said. “They like her for the sprints, but want to develop her for a few relays. They also have an Olympic gold medalist (Rachel Komisarz) as an assistant, who also owns the (American) record in the butterfly. She likes Brittany’s stroke in the fly, but can develop it even more. “ And for the girl who began swimming only for safety reasons, taking lessons as a kid, she’s taken to it very well and it’s produced a scholarship, which is 50 percent athletic and can rise 30 percent academically with a 20-point improvement to her SAT score. Now, with the school destination decided, she can focus on leading her 14th-ranked Wawasee Lady Warriors. “That part is off the list,” she said about selecting a college.
