College Recruit Rankings Profile: Five-Star Felicia Lee, Class of 2010

PHOENIX, Arizona, August 20. FELICIA Lee, a five-star recruit from the Class of 2010, is up next in this summer's series of Swimming World College Recruit Rankings Profiles. Lee lives in Baltimore, Md., and swims for the powerful North Baltimore Aquatic Club. She preps at Towson High.

Lee maintains her profile in the Swimming World College Recruit Rankings powered by Take Your Marks, and is an all-around star.

A U.S. National Team member, Lee has some impressive long course times in the 50m free 26.28; 100m free 55.96; 200m free 2:01.07; 100m back 1:02.53; 200m back 2:16.05; 100m fly 58.54; 200m fly 2:09.45; 200m IM 2:15.17; and 400m IM 4:50.44.

She also would have qualified for the 2009 NCAA Division I Championships in the 100y fly 52.97; 200y fly 1:56.10; 200y IM 1:57.92; and 400y IM 4:13.09 with her strong short course yard times.

Where and when did you start swimming?
I started when I was 3 at a local YMCA to learn basic water safety. I joined my first team, Bluestreaks, at 4.

Who would you name as the most influential person and coach in your swimming career?
The most influential people in my swimming career are my parents. They are always supportive and never push me towards something I don't want to do. Not only that, but they have sacrificed so much to allow me to train at North Baltimore so that I may pursue my goals and dreams.

It's hard to pick and pinpoint one specific coach, because they have all helped me along the way, but I would have to say Paul Yetter definitely has had the most influence on me. Paul is just so enthusiastic about everything that involves swimming. He makes practice fun, but of course challenging at the same time. Paul is also one of those coaches who just wouldn't give up on you, no matter what you are going through. I am thankful I had the opportunity to train with Paul, and his influence on me will extend throughout my swimming career.

What, to this point, is your best moment in the sport and why?
I'd have to say that my best moment in the sport was making the National team in 2007 that traveled to the Grand Prix in Japan. I got to see how crazy swimming was in Japan, and they seriously really love their swimmers over there. Every night at finals, there were massive crowds cheering "Ni-pon!" during the entire session, they had guys banging on drums, and fire exploding by the start end. It was an awesome experience to travel to another country and see how much the Japanese people support their swimmers.

Walk us through a day of practice:
On double days (Tues, Thurs), I wake up at 6:05, and get about an hour of swimming in (from 7-8) before I have to go to school. At 3:45 every afternoon and 7:30 on Saturday morning, we swim about two hours with an hour of dryland afterward. Dryland usually consists of cardio, medballs, abs, pull-ups, squats, planks, and push-ups that alternate depending on the day. Sometimes we break out the rock wall or a basketball game, which gets pretty intense. Sunday is our recovery day where we swim for about an easy hour working on technique.

What is your favorite set?
My favorite set would have to be when we have "race day". It's usually dive 6×100's stroke trying to reach your best time and hold with an easy 5 minute or so swim in between each 100.

What is your least favorite set?
I don't really mind anything, but if I had to choose, I would not be part of any long distance free set.

What are your short-term goals?
I'd like to keep improving and progressing on the national scene as well as commit to a college that fits me.

What are your long-term goals?
I'd like to make an international team in the upcoming years along with competing well for the college I swim for.

What colleges are you interested in so far?
It's a secret.

What has the recruiting process been like so far, now that you are allowed to be called by coaches?
It's been a mixture of fun and overwhelming at times. I'm enjoying the process of learning about what colleges around the country have to offer, but at the same time it's a lot of pressure to pick and choose where I'd like to go.

Is there anything else interesting that you'd like our readers to know about you?
My knees are weird, they can hyperextend to a 35 degree angle. It's kinda cool, but freaky.

RECRUITS: To make sure we have the most updated information on your recruiting, and to earn the highest star ranking you deserve, please either create a new profile, or request to take over your admin-created account in the Swimming World College Recruit Rankings powered by Take Your Marks. Then make sure to update your profile with your top times. Click here for information on how to do so.

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