Photography by Steve Buchanan
Aliza Monaldo’s determination and grit to get quicker as a swimmer is almost an obsession. Monaldo, a senior at Severn School, not only practices hard but puts an incredible amount of time into studying the art of swimming.
“I just care about swimming more,” Monaldo says. “Three years ago, it was just something I did. It’s become part of who I am. I am more passionate about it now, and it has made me more disciplined.”
Her improvement plan started in October 2021. That’s when she began watching the best swimmers in the world on YouTube. The videos greatly helped to improve her technique.
“I wanted to see how the Olympians excelled and how they went about doing their strokes,” Monaldo explains. “I really wanted to understand the swimmers who were great at it and how they did it. It was very inspiring.”
Joining the Annapolis Swim Club was also a key part of her new and enhanced regimen. She practices more hours than when she swam for a Severna Park club team. Monaldo’s schedule at the Annapolis club included eight swimming practices a week and two came in the morning, starting at 6 a.m.
Then came the unexpected. Coaching five to 15-year-olds the past two summers, who compete for the Two Rivers community team, impacted her in a way that made her more passionate about the sport. “What it did was raise my enthusiasm about swimming,” she recalls. “That was a great experience. It allowed me to put things in perspective and have fun seeing the younger kids. It helped me with the mental aspects of swimming—just staying passionate and committed.”
All the hard work she put in aided her in the pool, too. Monaldo went on to win Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland B Conference individual championships. More importantly, she landed a spot on the swim team at Boston University, where she’ll major in biomedical engineering.
The 5-foot-8 Monaldo verbally committed to the school in late March. She carries a weighted grade point average of 4.50. By the end of the school year in the spring, she will have taken nine advanced placement classes.
“They have great academics,” she says of BU. “They have beautiful facilities and a lot of resources for student-athletes to be successful.”
You can say Monaldo put herself in the elite category of swimmers in February of 2022, capturing IAAM titles in the 200- and 500-meter freestyle. This past February, she won another title in the 500 freestyle (5:03.71) and finished second in the 200 (1:53.71). Those were her career-best times. Monaldo also swam a leg in the 400-freestyle relay (2nd) and 200-medley relay (3rd).
Severn Swimming Coach Erin Domenech, in her 10th season, named the 17-year-old Monaldo the Admirals’ MVP.
“She is very goal-oriented, and she really stepped up during her junior year,” Domenech says. “She can do anything she sets her mind to. It’s been fun to watch her develop, and she is a great role model for the younger swimmers. She will do any stroke that I ask her to do.”
For the Annapolis Swim Club, the most important thing she has accomplished is improving her versatility.
“She has become a great individual medley swimmer,” Annapolis Swim Club Coach Stephen Henderson says. “She also swims the 100 and 200 backstroke. She’s had success because of her consistency and mental fortitude. In every practice, she’s always on.”
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