Vet School Swimmers

While Ashleigh Walker, Katie Hughes and Kelly Harrigan have excelled in the pool and in the classroom, moving onto the advanced studies of veterinary school, all three women believe the path from swimming to such a challenge is logical.

Harrigan was plotting that path even as a high school senior. Harrigan, when she was looking at colleges, made sure she asked early and often about academics, specifically animal science.

“When I was recruited for college swimming, one of my first questions was always, ‘Does your college have an animal science major?’ – getting into vet school was always one of my goals,” Harrigan said. “The biggest challenge was getting experience and taking all those science classes on top of swimming.”

Katie Hughes knew from a young age she’d be working to help heal animals.

“Apparently, when I was 4 years old I told my parents I wanted to become a veterinarian –  although that dream changed to wanting to be an astronaut, an actress on Broadway, and much later during high school a marine biologist,” Hughes said.

It was actually an interest in the hard sciences that led Hughes back down the path toward veterinary studies.

“I've always remained fascinated with science,” Hughes said. “The summer following my sophomore at UNCW I was awarded an internship at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, where I fell in love with medicine. Veterinary medicine is what I am passionate about because there are so many opportunities and rewards to working with animals.”

While Walker enjoyed picking a college, she could not have chosen many tougher than the one she picked academically – and she knows it was the perfect choice for her.

“I chose to go to Cornell University, because I could swim for their team and their strong animal science major,” Walker said. “I loved the camaraderie of a college team and also the excitement of swimming in dual meets and Ivy League Championships.  I was recruited as a breaststroker, but in my sophomore year we got a new coach who switched me to distance swimming.  I attribute the strong training base I received at Curl-Burke to my ability to handle the change from 100s and 200s to swimming the 500, 1000, and mile.  And throughout my time at Cornell, I looked forward to coming back to Curl-Burke to swim over holidays and summers with my old teammates.”

Hughes also knows what she wants to specialize in, yet she’s keenly aware of the challenges that await her on this journey.

“Ultimately I would love to do a surgical residency, but first I must meet the challenges of the next four years,” Hughes said. “So far I've learned that vet school is filled with ups and downs. One day you’re on top of the world because you scored well on your anatomy exam; the next you can't fathom how you are possibly going to learn everything you need to know to become a great doctor. So far the challenges have been rewarding, however, it definitely requires a love of studying.”

Harrigan was fourth in the 200 back at 2006 U.S. Nationals. Harrigan, who represented the U.S. on a World University Games team, also had an outside shot at the 2008 Olympic Trials. While she didn’t make the team, she does have memories that she’ll keep for a lifetime. At 2007 WUGs, she won gold in the 200 backstroke, and gold as part of the 800 free relay.

“My high point as a swimmer was watching the American flag being raised as I was standing on the podium at the 2007 World University Games,” Harrigan said. “I am most proud of being able to represent USA Swimming at those games.”

Ashleigh Walker is from Bowie, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C. She swam for the Naval Academy Aquatics Club and Curl-Burke Swim Club, which she was coached by Rick Curl and had an outstanding group to train with, which included national level swimmers, most notably Tom Dolan. The program also welcomed back college swimmers over the holiday breaks. It was during one of those sessions training with visiting college swimmers that she realized she wanted to swim in college.

“I was immediately inspired by the college swimmers that came back to train with the group on their holiday breaks,” Walker said. “I noticed that no matter what school people went to, they all came back raving about how much they enjoyed college swimming. It was such an exciting time as our senior class went on recruiting trips and decided where we would be going.”

It was at Curl where she had one of her most memorable experiences at a swimmer.

“Looking back, one of my proudest moments was receiving the Tom Dolan Achievement Award as a senior in high school at Curl-Burke,” Walker said. “It never occurred to me that someone as talented and accomplished as Tom Dolan, could recognize work ethic and passion in someone like me, who had never even made a zone team.  It was an amazing lesson that I'll never forget.  No matter what your goals are, they are worthy; it's the journey that matters.  We learn the same lessons along the way, no matter where we end up.”

For someone with genius-level thinking skills, Walker is humble about her swimming career, yet because of her perspective, it’s clear she got all she could have ever wanted, and more, out of her time at Cornell.

“I don't have any impressive times, cuts, or placings to share with you,” Walker said. “I was the one that received awards such as the Overall Attitude Award and the Spirit Award, rather than MVP at Cornell. However, I did have the honor of being voted co-captain by my teammates in my senior year.”

Hughes is no stranger to winning, and it was a team title that came before she even graduated high school that still sticks in her mind.

“Swimming during my high school years was when I loved swimming the most,” Hughes said. “During my junior year, my high school team won the state championship by half a point – that may have been the single most exhilarating experience in my life thus far. High school swimming in Michigan is very competitive and I was been fortunate to train with some truly talented swimmers on both my high school and club teams in Michigan.”

When it came time to select a college, Hughes made a long trek across the country to the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, which ended up being the ideal undergraduate experience, and academically it prepared her for what she would face in vet school at Michigan State. She notes the influence of her coaches shaped her tremendously.

“Throughout my entire swimming career, beginning when I was 5 to when I graduated from UNCW, I couldn't have asked for more excellent coaches,” Hughes said. “They taught me countless lessons, and made me a better swimmer and person in the process. I am very thankful I had the opportunity to compete as a Division I college athlete. I had an amazing experience at UNC-Wilmington that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. Earning a scholarship and competing all four years of college is what I am most proud of as a swimmer.”

Because logistics support it, Harrigan sees her former teammates often, something she appreciates and can’t imagine life without.

“Lucky for me, Rutgers is only an hour from UPenn,” Harrigan said, “so I try to head there to visit when I can. I’ve enjoyed training with the team over the past two summers even though I already graduated - and I would love to go back this summer, but unfortunately I will be in rotations working in the hospital.”

Like Walker and Harrigan, some of Hughes’ best friends were from swim teams – and she won’t soon forget them, or lose contact with them.

“The majority of my closest friends were also former teammates at one point and it is extremely important to me to stay in touch with them,” Hughes said. “I've always thought of myself as a very loyal person and I cherish my friends very much. I feel lucky to have had a lot of great experiences in and around the pool and those people were there with me, so I guess you could say we share a special bond. I have friends that live in various places around the country – and even the world – thanks to swimming. I miss the days in and around the pool with them, so I'm really looking forward to alumni events.”

Harrigan doesn’t completely rule out a comeback – the only she does rule out is giving up swimming, because even as she swims just recreationally, she still loves being in the water.

“For right now, I swim just as a part of a healthy lifestyle,” Harrigan said. “But who knows what will happen in two years.”