College Recruit Rankings Profile: Four-Star McKayla Lightbourn, Class of 2010

PHOENIX, Arizona, September 3. THE next swimmer in the Swimming World College Recruit Rankings Profile series is McKayla Lightbourn. Lightbourn is a four-star IMer in the Class of 2010 who swims for Sarasota YMCA and Pine View High.

Lightbourn, who keeps her profile in the Swimming World College Recruit Rankings powered by Take Your Marks updated on a regular basis, owns a time that clears the U.S. Olympic Trials cut (an integral part of the rankings system) in the women's 200-meter IM. Lightbourn has clocked a time of 2:20.09 in the event.

Lightbourn also has NCAA Division I B cuts in the 200-yard IM (2:03.78) and 400-yard IM (4:20.74).

She lists the following universities as those she is interested in attending at this point:

Auburn University (div 1)
University of California-Berkeley (div 1)
University of Florida (div 1)
University of Georgia (div 1)
University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) (div 1)
Princeton University (div 1)
Stanford University (div 1)
University of Tennessee (Knoxville) (div 1)
University of Texas (div 1)
University of Virginia (div 1)

To be eligible to be featured in this series, please make sure you 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. Click here for information on how to do so.

Where and when did you start swimming?
When I was 10 months old, my mom signed me up for swim lessons at the Sarasota YMCA. I learned to swim before I could walk, but it wasn't until I was six years old that I joined the Sarasota YMCA Sharks.

Who would you name as the most influential person and coach in your swimming career?
I would have to say my late coach Larry Shofe. He made me into the swimmer I am today. Without him there to push me everyday, I truly believe I would not have got my Trial cut this past year. He will be greatly missed in the swimming community. RIP Coach Shofe, I will miss you. Also my parents, they are always there for me, without them none of this would have been possible. They have sacrificed a lot for my swimming.

What, to this point, is your best moment in the sport and why?
It was when I got my senior national cut in the mile at J.O.'s when I was 14 years old. It was my last J.O. on the last day and last event, in which I really did not want to swim, but I went out and did my best and it paid off.

Walk us through a day of practice:
It depends on the time of year, high school season we are only doing two morning practices a week 5 a.m. to 6:30 and every afternoon 3:15 to 6:15, except on Friday we get out at 5:15 p.m. and then Sat. 7 to 10 a.m. After high school season, we go back to three mornings a week, switching back and forth between short course and long course.

What is your favorite set?
I would have to say any set that is broken, it gives you a chance to rest on the wall before going again.

What is your least favorite set?
That would definitely be fly Friday! The whole practice is geared towards fly, and that being my worst stroke it is my hardest practice and least favorite set, but it has tremendously improved my IM. So I am not complaining.

What are your short-term goals?
My short term goal would be to repeat last year results in being double High School State Champion and making All American in both events.

What are your long-term goals?
Would be to graduate from high school with a high GPA and to get accepted into a good college and continue to swim and improve in all of my events. Then in 2010, I want to represent the Bahamas at the First Youth Olympics in Singapore and then 2012 in the Olympics in London.

What colleges are you interested in so far?
I would have to say in no particular order: Auburn, Virginia, Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Princeton, Florida, North Carolina.

How is the recruiting process going?
Just entering my junior year and beginning to look around. I have received a lot of letters from various colleges, and I'm starting to fill out their swimming questionnaires. I'm sure as the year goes on I will be real busy, as I would like to sign with a college early in my senior year.

Is there anything else that you'd like our readers to know about you?
I have dual citizenship with the Bahamas as my parents were born there. I have swam on their National swim team for the past couple of years, representing them at Carifta, Caribbean Island Swimming Championships and last year at 2007 Pan Am Games, where I placed 7th in the 200 IM. This October, I will be going to India to swim at the Youth Commonwealth Games.

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