Athlete of the Week

Last year Meredith Bryarly, BR '01, spent most of her time studying for tests, writing papers, and reading for classes. Just one year later, she was breaking school records and leading the Bulldogs to victory as a member of the women's swimming team. Bryarly's successful return to swimming included her selection to the All-Ivy First Team and her being honored as the Swimmer of the Meet at the Ivy League Championships. She was also the only female swimmer from Yale to qualify for the NCAA Championships.

COURTESY OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS Meredith Bryarly, BR '01 Women's swimming Hometown: Conroe, Tex. Major: Architecture Favorite TV show: Friends Favorite class: Senior project Favorite food: Sushi Role Model: Shannon Dunlap, BR '01 Personal sports highlight: Qualifying for the NCAA Division I swimming and diving championships.

How did this 6'0" sprinter suddenly dominate the swimming scene? After swimming for Yale during her freshman and sophomore years, Bryarly found it difficult to juggle practices and matches with her demanding school workload. She competed in one meet at the beginning of the 1999-2000 season, but opted to quit the team in late November. "It was very hard to quit the team, especially since I have been competing for most of my life," Bryarly said.

Bryarly first swam in a summer league at age six, and since age seven She has participated in the U.S. swimming program year round, even competing in Junior Nationals. With swimming having previously occupied so much of her time, Bryarly was unable to permanantly give it up, despite her year away from the sport. She thus decided to re-join the swim team the summer before her senior year.

Once back in the water, Bryarly easily made the transition back into competitive swimming, which she attributes to her strong physical condition. Additionally, she credits her teammates for their constant support, particularly diver Shannon Dunlap, BR '01. "Shannon is one of the hardest workers that I know," she said. "She always inspired me to compete and practice more."

The height of Bryarly's stellar return to collegiate swimming was her appearance at the NCAA Championships in New York from Thurs., Mar. 15 to Sat., Mar. 17. Over the course of the three-day sporting event, she swam in three separate races: the 50-yard, 100-yard, and 200-yard freestyle. Her highest finish came in the 50-yard freestyle race, in which she finished 18th in the preliminary competition with a time of 23.04 seconds. Bryarly also placed 20th in the 100-yard freestyle preliminary race (50.19) and 46th in the 200-yard freestyle preliminary (1:50.41).

Bryarly found herself amid powerhouse teams like Georgia and Stanford at the NCAA Championships and admits that although the experience was exciting, it was quite nerve-racking. "My family and some friends came to support me at the races, but I was pretty nervous being there by myself competing," she said.

With the numerous Yale records and awards Bryarly has received, one may wonder what she has planned for her future. Although she aspires to work for an architecture firm eventually, her sights are currently set on the possibility of continuing her swimming career after college.

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