Emily Lundgren’s Battle of Rising to Expectations

In simply her first season with Washington State, Emily Lundgren broke two college information, positioned third at the Pac-12 Championships within the 200 yard and alongside her teammate Dori Hathazi, turned the primary freshman in program historical past to compete in the NCAA Championships. The subsequent yr, throughout a winter apply in her sophomore season two months earlier than convention championships, Lundgren felt the stress that freshman yr set. 

Standing on the field that neglected Gibb pool inside Bohler Gym, Lundgren dove into the water and thought to herself, “I do not want to be here.” 

Doubt swirled all through her thoughts, and she remembered asking herself, “How am I going to top that? How am I going to keep improving?” 

Lundgren obtained out of the water and discovered her teammate on the time, Alexandra Vartiainen. Lundgren instructed her she felt nervous, and Vartiainen gave her a easy however robust message. 

“She was like, ‘Just take it one thing at a time,’ and I ended up having a great practice and I think that really took off a lot of pressure from me,” Lundgren mentioned. “Definitely opening up to my teammates and relying on them is a huge thing I’ve learned. They’re a resource and I hope I am a resource to them too.” 

Two months later, Lundgren completed second on the Pac-12 Championships within the 100-yard breaststroke and certified for the NCAA Championships for a second yr in a row. 

“I feel like that race I really swam for myself and for my teammates,” Lundgren mentioned. “I was having so much fun with it and then the outcome came better than I ever expected.” 

The stress Lundgren felt previous to her sophomore season is one thing that’s all the time at the back of her thoughts. But now, as a senior, Lundgren is making ready for her fourth journey to the NCAA Championships, the primary Cougar to ever achieve this. Throughout her profession, she has realized cope with the stress that comes together with her love for competitors. 

“That doubt is always part of the process, but it’s about how I kind of overcame it. I have a whole season, like I’m only improving,” Lundgren mentioned. “So, I think I definitely panicked a little bit, but I brought it back.” 

Competition has been part of Lundgren’s since she joined the swim group at seven years outdated. She adopted carefully within the footsteps of her sister, who’s 4 years older and swam competitively. 

Lundgren remembers profitable her first meet when she was about eight years outdated. When you gained a warmth in that age group, the organizers gave you a toy duck. Lundgren mentioned she needed to swim only for the geese, amassing them all through the years. She nonetheless remembers her favourite duck, it had water inside and hung from a lanyard on her backpack all through major college. 

But as she obtained older, Lundgren discovered her personal motivation. Lundgren knew she might swim at a division-one degree; her coaches instructed her that ever since center college. Watching her older sister compete on the University of Santa Cruz naturally, Lundgren adopted an identical route however as a substitute took her abilities out of the state. 

She left her hometown of Chula Vista, California and got here to the Palouse. By the tip of Lundgren’s freshman season, she stunned even herself by qualifying for the NCAA Championships. The NCAA Championship is any division-one swimmer’s aim, however as soon as she obtained to the pool and noticed one of the best collegiate athletes and even Olympians, it hit her the place she was. Lundgren jokes that she thinks she obtained final place however nonetheless acknowledged the load of her accomplishment. 

“It really taught me like, I qualified for that meet based on time so I belong here,” Lundgren mentioned. “That was a huge thing for me, reminding myself that I could compete there.” 

Lundgren knew she belonged, and by her junior yr, a March journey to the NCAA Championships turned the norm. In her third straight postseason, she completed sixth place within the 200 breaststroke, one of the best end by a Coug in program historical past. 

“I’m very proud doing that because I set my goal last year was to make it to that final and so actually being able to accomplish that I think was huge also for my teammates because they all knew what I wanted to do so kind of setting that example that you can actually do whatever you want to do as long as you put a lot of effort and work into it,” Lundgren mentioned. 

Lundgren has stepped into the position of main by instance. Part of that comes with being one of the crucial embellished swimmers in program historical past, however additionally as a result of it was solely when Lundgren reached out to her upperclassman teammate on the time, Vartiainen, that she obtained readability. Now a senior, Lundgren has felt that identical dynamic with her teammates.  

“I’ve had a couple of freshmen come up to me this year and they’re like, ‘do you even get nervous before races,’ and I’m like, ‘let me tell you, I definitely do,'” Lundgren mentioned. 

One of the underclassmen that has felt the affect of Lundgren’s management is sophomore Darcy Revitt. Last season each Lundgren and Revitt certified for the NCAA Championships. The Championships have been held the week after spring break, and the 2 stayed in Pullman. Revitt mentioned that she thinks they have been the one two college students on campus. Revitt, a freshman on the time, mentioned that week felt daunting. She had a lot free time and a lot on her thoughts, however Lundgren helped ease her nerves.  

The two began a custom, they might go to Starbucks and get a brown sugar shaken expresso. After they might go residence and bake a batch of monkey bread. These actions helped preserve Revitt’s thoughts off of swim, however even when she wanted to speak about swim, the 2 have been capable of bounce off one another. 

“It’s a lot harder to see something in your own eyes, but if you have someone else whose experienced it with you and knows what you’re capable of and believes in you, then its so much easier to just kind of have that little switch of like, ‘I help you, you help me,’ and that was really nice to have, especially that week,” Revitt mentioned. 

This season, each certified for a postseason journey to Atlanta for the NCAA Championships. As Lundgren is about for her fourth postseason journey, the senior will get to wrap up her profession alongside her teammate Revitt. 

“No matter what happens, it’s like I’ve gotten to go four times and helping Darcy get there another time is so cool,” Lundgren mentioned. “It means a lot that I get to compete one last time.”