College Recruit Rankings Profile: Five-Star Fiona Doyle, Class of 2010

PHOENIX, Arizona, July 20. FIONA Doyle, a five-star recruit from the Class of 2010, is the next subject in this summer's series of Swimming World College Recruit Rankings Profiles. Doyle joins us from overseas as she hails from Ireland. She attends Crescent College Comprehensive, and swims for the Limerick Swimming Club.

Doyle maintains her profile in the Swimming World College Recruit Rankings powered by Take Your Marks, and is a versatile swimmer with strong times in the sprint free and breaststroke events.

Her top long course meters times are: 50m free 26.39; 100m free 56.62; 100m breast 1:10.57; 200m breast 2:34.27.

When and where did you start swimming?
I started lessons when I was six and progressed to my current club, Limerick Swimming Club at the age of 10 and have been training there ever since.

Who would you name as the most influential person and coach in your swimming career?
There have been a number of influential people and coaches in my career so far. My parents are the most influential, and they have been on my side from the moment I started and have always supported the choices I have made.

As for coaches, it's hard to name just one, but Steve Price, head coach of Edmonton Keyano Swim Club, Canada, introduced me to High Performance swimming and has shown me what I am capable of achieving. He encouraged me to aim high. Limerick Swimming Club's Barbara Nalewko is a very good technical coach. Recently, she took me under her wing, and helped me with my technique. She constantly reminds me to stay positive, and not worry about the things I have no control over as things work themselves out. Peter O'Brien of Portmarnock Swimming Club has also been influential in my career, his support and focus was crucial when I was trying to achieve a qualifying time for Worlds, and he says he would never bet against me in a race, which I find really encouraging.

What, to this point, is your best moment in the sport and why?
In April of this year I qualified for the World Championships. It stands out as I had a really tough year, and wasn't expected to qualify for the Championships.

Walk us through a day of practice:
A typical day would involve getting up at 4:35 a.m. for training at 5:15 for a two hour session. I would then head home for something to eat and to get ready for school at nine. I would then leave school early and arrive for training at 4:00 p.m. for another two-hour pool session followed by a 20 to 30 minute land work programme. I usually get home for 7:00 p.m., have dinner with my family and finish any homework assignments and then to bed for 9:00 p.m.

What is your favorite set?
I like a set which generally consists of 100s max, with maybe one or two hundreds easy in between.

What is your least favorite set?
I enjoy training and don't have a least favourite.

What are your short-term goals?
Achieve a personal best in the World Championships in Rome.

What are your long-term goals?
To qualify for the London 2012 Olympics.

What colleges are you interested in so far?
I haven't made my mind up yet, but I am really impressed with the interest from some of the top universities.

What has the recruiting process been like so far, now that you are allowed to be called by coaches?
It's very new to me, I am still not sure how the process works, but I will have help from my coaches and some of the senior Irish swimmers who are already in the U.S.

Is there anything else interesting that you'd like our readers to know about you?
I have a twin sister, Eimear, who also swims breaststroke and we both qualified for the World Youth Championships last year, but she was unable to compete as she suffered a back injury, and in 2007 we both finaled at European Juniors. She is a great training buddy, I miss her during training and I look forward to her return to the pool.

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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