Last September, senior Emory Tudor committed to Amherst College for Division III swimming.

“I’ve been swimming since I was six, and I never really stopped,” Tudor said. “I know it’s not a lot of fun for people to swim laps, but I enjoy it.” Tudor has been competing in swim meets at Menlo for all four years of high school, although they spend more time at the Burlingame Aquatic Club (BAC). Tudor has been swimming at BAC for the past ten years. Tudor usually swims mid-distance, freestyle and backstroke.

Tudor is the first Menlo student to compete at the state level for school swim meets. According to Tudor, swim meets are exciting because they get to be part of a team. “Having a team is so nice,” Tudor said. “We always end up eating a lot of candy during meets, even if we aren’t supposed to. It’s really fun.”

Senior Grace Tang is a former teammate of Tudor’s; Tang swam with Tudor at Menlo swim meets during their freshman year. According to Tang, Tudor has always been one of the fastest swimmers on the team and has even lapped Tang in the pool before. “[Tudor is] a super hard worker, and they’re always on time. They get stuff done,” Tang said. “And they’re always there for everyone.”

Apart from swimming in pools, Tudor participates in open swimming, meaning swimming in the ocean. Tudor has participated in the annual swim race from Alcatraz to San Francisco since they were nine years old. About three years ago, prior to the pandemic, they won first place in their division for the Alcatraz race. Open water swimming has also helped Tudor better prepare for their pool swim meets.

In addition to winning the Alcatraz race, Tudor has qualified for national swim meets. According to Tudor, there are five tiers of a national meet, and they’ve made it to the second tier in previous years, although they did not win a place on the podium. 

Even though Tudor has appreciated their time swimming throughout high school, they are excited to move on to Amherst. Tudor was originally drawn to Amherst because it is a small liberal arts college. “I always assumed I would swim in college,” Tudor said. “I ultimately chose Amherst because of its comfortable atmosphere. It seemed less stressful [than other options].”

Even though Tudor is excited about Amherst, they will miss the ability to swim outdoors. Amherst will consist of indoor swimming, which will be a change from the outdoor swimming at Menlo and BAC.