THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Katie Kochalko missed her second season with an injury, but that did not deter the Cal Lutheran student-athlete who returned to the pool in 2014-15 to produce the best showing of her career en route to a 200 Individual Medley school record as a leader on the women's swimming and diving team.
"After a major injury as a sophomore, I got a fresh start this year and the new team made a big impact on my life as I consider them friends I will have forever," Kochalko shared.
To get back to a high level of competition she was required to go through extensive rehabilitation, something she hopes to be on the other side of in the future. The Encinitas, Calif. native is majoring in exercise science and has aspirations of becoming either an athletic trainer or physical therapist.
Kochalko knew that at Cal Lutheran she would have the opportunity to continue her swimming career while preparing for life in the professional world.
"Being a student-athlete in a DIII program has helped me to get the most out of my education while still doing the sport that I love," she went on, "At CLU I am able to succeed in both swimming and my education and that is something I am truly grateful for."
She has been a leader in and out of the pool, where she swam her way into the record books this winter. As a captain for the young Regals team, she clocked a 2:11.14 in the 200 IM to take the top spot in Cal Lutheran history while punching a ticket to the SCIAC championship final in the event on Feb. 20, 2015. During the season she was also selected as the CLU Female Athlete of the Week (Nov. 17).
Her guidance has been instrumental in rebuilding the women's swimming and diving program and she will be turned to even more as a senior in 2015-16.
During the course of Division III Week (April 6-12), CLUSports will be distributing a series of student-athlete related materials via Social Media (links below) and on www.clusports.com.
CLU Twitter: https://twitter.com/clusports
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Hashtags: #ownthethrone, #clusports, #gokingsmen #goregals, #purplepit #whyD3 #NCAAD3 #d3week