Joyce Kwok: The Life of an NCAA Champion

Joyce Kwok LIU Post

Photo Courtesy: Kyle Staggs

By Seren Jones, Swimming World College Intern

BROOKVILLE – The alarm goes off on Monday morning at 7:30, and many reply to its screeching sound with a resented groan, but not LIU Post’s Joyce Kwok. For most of college students this is the typical commencement of an “endless” week. However, Kwok has been awake since 5.45, completed her first practice of the day, devoured a plate or three of cooked breakfast, and is already headed to class.

Kwok is one of the 14 girls who create the 2014-15 nationally ranked LIU Post Women’s Swim Team. After earning the highest GPA out of all women’s swim teams in the nation last season, Kwok is aware of the importance of her work in the pool as well as in the classroom. Thus in order to maintain her select student-athlete status, her day has started around 5.45 a.m. every weekday since September of her freshman year, which we all know is considered the norm among collegiate swimmers.

Kwok, who was born and raised in Queens, N.Y., attended high school at Francis Lewis. The five foot two junior and Health Science major, confessed how she didn’t expect to become an NCAA Champion, let alone an athlete.

“In the beginning, my parents were against [my] being an athlete because they were athletes themselves and they know the pain and struggles that come with sports,” Kwok said.

Even swimming itself had no intention of being competitive for the Kwoks.

“I started to learn how to swim when I was nine because my parents wanted me to know how to do it so I wouldn’t drown,” she said. “Then I started to love swimming and continued on and [eventually] competed by the age of 11.”

By her senior year at Francis Lewis, Kwok, who was hoping to commit to the renowned swim team of Penn State University, decided to broaden her options and considered NCAA Division 2 institutions.

“At first, I never knew about this school until my high school coach talked to me about colleges, and he recommended Post since it was close and has a really good program,” Kwok said.

After only seven months of early mornings, double practices, and countless cartons of chocolate milk, Kwok – along with six of her teammates – succeeded to qualify for the NCAA Championships in Birmingham, Ala., in March 2013. The qualification of the seven Pioneers – under head coach Maureen Travers – became the team’s largest ever appearance at the championships.

It was here that Kwok and three of her teammates, became the first ever Pioneers to win a national title in the pool. The foursome of Kwok, Tamara Garriock, Johanna Pettersson, and Meghan Brazier took the 400 IM relay in a time of 3:42.48, five yards ahead of the field.

Kwok then continued the success of her team by becoming the first Pioneer to win an individual swimming NCAA title, taking the 200 butterfly in a time of 2:00:28. Two national titles and six All-American Awards for the LIU Post Pioneers resulted in the team’s most successful year since its establishment in 2002. However two national titles did not suffice for Kwok: she returned to the championships the following year in Geneva, Ohio, only to defend her individual title, as well as slash her best time and team record by a second, clocking a 1:58.91.

LIU Post has not only become Kwok’s place of study, but during her two-year course at the institution, the women of the swim team have become her family.

“Post is a home that I can share and enjoy with everyone on the team,” Kwok said. “The feeling of knowing that there is another place that I belong to is a feeling I can’t describe.”

Kwok also admitted that the team has helped to push her beyond her physical and psychological limits she did not know were possible.

“My teammates definitely contribute towards my success because they all help push me through the highs and lows,” Kwok said. “Not only am I doing this for myself, but for my teammates who are there to support me and to be part of the success. Each and everyone of us has individual goals and team goals. We will help each other to achieve that goal even if it is in the pool or out of the pool.”

Travers, who has been the head coach of the team since its existence, also believes that Kwok has an influence on the international team of LIU Post.

“She just fits seamlessly into the team,” Travers said. “When she races her teammates get excited and pumped up. But she pushes herself, especially on relays, in order to help the team succeed.”

Training for the NCAA’s for the third consecutive year, Kwok has kept her eyes on the prize for the upcoming season.

“I hope to perform personal best times in my events [primarily the 100 yard and 200 yard butterfly] and to become the NCAA Champion in the 200 fly again,” Kwok said. She then added, “I also wish to get more of my teammates to go and compete at nationals.”

LIU Post Swim Team

Photo Courtesy: Erika Hultman

 

However, Kwok has begun to experience the disadvantage that comes with the success of being a three-time NCAA Champion.

“There is definitely pressure,” she admitted. “I know there are people wanting to take this title and these people are also working as hard as I am – everyone is improving and dropping times. I think this pressure comes from myself because I know I have people watching and supporting me and I want to do the best I can.”

Despite the astonishing rise in the standards of NCAA Division 2 swimming, senior captain Courtney Delehanty has faith in her teammate.

“She’s a great trainer to have in the pool,” Delehanty said. “Not only does she push the rest of the team, but we all push her. That’s the only way we can improve and advance as a team. We are all responsible for each other’s success. When one member succeeds, we all feel it.”

Kwok is raw evidence proving that hard work and dedication does pay off. As her collegiate swimming career progresses and she continues to gain experience, Kwok has certainly adopted the mindset and confidence of a true athlete, an issue she struggled with as an incoming freshman.

“Who I will become is more important than who I was,” Kwok said. “Don’t forget what you are fighting for and what you’ve held on to for so long. Remember you have everything to gain and nothing to lose. Take ownership of the person you will become.”

She smiled a timid smile.

“I never thought I would come this far and I never really think about what will happen in the future,” Kwok said. “But I guess that’s what makes it worth waiting for.”

Seren Jones is a junior butterfly/backstroker from Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. The Metropolitan Conference individual champion grew up swimming for The City of Cardiff Swimming Club, and qualified for the Great Britain Olympic Trials in 2012.

 

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