Swimmer is testing
new waters

By Joe Mason
For the Times

When Lauren Sylvester swims for Germantown Academy High School, she expects total support from her family.
And when she swims for her club team, the Germantown Academy Aquatic Club, she can count on her mother Cheryl, father Frank and her 15-year-old brother, Matt, to be cheering her on.
Next year, she might not have such a family affair.
Next year she’ll be swimming for the enemy.
Sylvester, a Somerton resident in her senior year at Germantown Academy, is one of the top female distance swimmers on the East Coast. Next year she’ll be swimming for the University of Notre Dame, which has given her a scholarship.
It’s a fine achievement. Her father and brother will tell you that . . . it’s just that it would be even finer if Lauren were swimming in Happy Valley.
"My dad and brother are huge Penn State fans," Sylvester explained. "Actually, when I went out visiting potential schools, I had it down between Notre Dame and Penn State. Both schools are amazing, but I loved Notre Dame.
"It’s not too far away, but it’s so beautiful," she added. "Plus, it’s not too big, it’s a great academic school. It’s everything I wanted."
Notre Dame no doubt feels the same way. Sylvester just completed her third season with the Patriots, which finished a perfect 8-0 in dual-meet competition.
The school has been pretty successful during Sylvester’s time there. During her sophomore year, the team was ranked first in the nation. During her junior year, the team was the top-ranked prep school in the nation. This year, the team was ranked No. 2 among prep schools, though the final vote has not come out yet.
"It’s been a great career for me," she said. "There are so many great swimmers that you can’t help but learn while swimming with them."
When Sylvester started to swim during her early years, she just got in the pool to splash around. Then, gradually, she improved.
"By the time I got to high school, I was good," she said. "I wasn’t that good, but I was good. I could compete against a lot of girls. I wasn’t special, but I was decent."
Then, during the summer between freshman and sophomore year, Sylvester arrived.
"It all happened that summer," she said. "I could tell I was getting faster and faster. By the time my sophomore year started, I was good, a lot better than I was as a freshman."
Next year, she’ll have to get even better.
Sylvester is an extremely talented swimmer in the 200-meter and 500-meter freestyle races. Next year, she’ll have the opportunity to swim in the mile and the 1,000-meter freestyle. Those races require a lot more stamina and are much harder to finish.
But swimming with the rest of the Fighting Irish should help Sylvester.
Notre Dame recently won its 11th straight Big East women’s championship. It is among the top teams in the nation.
"It’s exciting because I’ve learned a lot at Germantown Academy, but I’m going to learn a lot more next year," she said. "When you are one of the best in the country, which we were at G.A., it’s exciting. Now I hope I get to have that chance again in college. Most people don’t get to do that."
Sylvester, who maintains an A-average at Germantown Academy, is unsure what her academic focus will be at Notre Dame. But now that her dream college is lined up, she has a few more goals to accomplish.
"I still want to get a spot on the Olympic trials," said Sylvester, who was a member of the national Junior Olympic team last year. "I don’t think I’m good enough to go to the Olympics, but I’d love to get a shot at the trials and see how I’d do. I think that would be an amazing experience."
And there’s one other thing . . . Sylvester has no doubt that her dad and brother will be cheering her on.
"They’ll be Notre Dame swimming fans," she said with a laugh. "My dad and brother aren’t going to cheer for Notre Dame football, but they’ll want to see the swimming team do well." ••
Reporter Joe Mason can be reached at joemason70@hotmail.com