Kelly Byrne, Greeley girls swim captain, has been swimming competitively since the age of six, honing her a love for the sport. But how did she go from a six year-old with larger-than-life aspirations to a senior committed to Bucknell University?
Well, it certainly didn’t come easily. Byrne swims for two highly competitive swim clubs — the Westchester Aquatic Club and Metropolitan Swimming Zone Team — and that level of competition definitely came with difficulties. Although she has never wanted to quit, Byrne says that swimming at a less competitive level has crossed her mind more than a few times. “It’s a lot of commitment,” said Byrne. “So a lot of times [I’ve wanted] to move to a team which I know will be less intense…there’s definitely been times where I’ve been much less motivated to show up every day.” Although such moments of doubt would sometimes arise, Byrne remained loyal to her clubs and always felt that it was worth it to stay.
When asked about defining moments in her swim career, Byrne recalled a championship swim meet she attended a few years ago where she realized that she had a future in swimming. “I had worked really hard to be at the level of some of the faster swimmers and I had a really good swim … that’s when I realized that hard work really pays off.” As a naturally competitive person, Byrne remarked that, while some people may strive for academic success, her validation tends to come from athletics — and that validation is what drove her to be the swimmer she is today. Byrne stated that, at times, it has been difficult for her to balance her academic and athletic lives — practicing in New Rochelle for hours every day while simultaneously keeping up with her schoolwork. “I get less sleep than I should,” Byrne joked. “Planning my time and knowing what I have to do really helps… organizing my time is really important.”
Byrne attributes her success to her mother, who was also a swimmer and a huge inspiration in her swimming career. While looking back on her years of swimming, Kelly couldn’t help but mention her love for the Greeley girls swim team. “G-swim is the best group of people…everyone on the team is so inviting and nice…[being on] the team might be my highlight of [my] Greeley [experience].”
One thing that undoubtedly held Kelly back in her athletic career was the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. During 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, pools were shut down and practices were quickly brought to a halt. Byrne recalled not being able to attend practice for three months, and even mentioned having to swim with her team in the Long Island Sound for a period of time before local pools opened again. “Swimming is a sport where you have to be in shape, and you can get out of shape so quickly when you’re not swimming,” said Byrne. “A lot of [swimmers] during the pandemic saw…what life was like without swimming, and so [many athletes] didn’t come back…and if they did, it was with a lot less motivation.”
Next year, Byrne plans to continue her studies at Bucknell University, where she will be swimming for the Division 1 Women’s Swim and Dive team. When asked how she knew Bucknell was the right school for her, she responded, “the swim team. All the [members of] the team were really nice and inviting. It seemed like they were all best friends that would spend all their time together, whether at practice or studying or eating lunch. It seemed like a really good team environment. I also just like the school a lot, especially the campus.” When asked what her best advice was to other athletes who want to continue their athletic career, Byrne simply said, “Put in the time and put in the work…the effort you put into the sport does get reflected.”
Greeley Athletics is proud of Kelly for her achievements, and the program is excited to watch her continue her swimming career. Go Bisons!