Photographs courtesy Spraul family
Swimmer Kate Spraul couldn’t get the National Club Swimming Association Spring Championships in Florida off her mind.
Spraul, a senior at Rockbridge Academy in Crownsville, had already put together an outstanding list of accomplishments in her 10-year career. Swimming for the Naval Academy Aquatic Club, the 5-foot-9 Spraul won seven individual state championships in freestyle events and competed in the International Swim Coaches Association’s International Senior Cup Championships in Florida three times.
But she had her sight set on a bigger challenge: the National Club Swimming Association Championships. The prospect of not qualifying for the hyper-competitive Orlando, Florida, event bugged her.
“I have been training for years to get to this meet and training so much,” says Spraul, who practices six days a week with her club team. “It’s the fastest junior swim meet in the country. Those who’ve swam at this meet were qualifying for the Olympic Trials.”
Spraul, a Bowie resident, realized her lofty goal of qualifying for the event after winning the 200-meter freestyle in the state championships in February. She did it by a razor edge—point zero two of a second. She swam a blazing 1:52.97.
In late March, she competed in the 200 at the National Club Swimming Association Championships, as well as in the 50 free, 100 free, 100 butterfly, and 200 and 400 medley relays.
Spraul and her teammates qualified in the 200 (1:45.55) and 400 (3:53.33) relays after setting Naval Academy Aquatic Club records at the state championships.
As far as the National Club Championships, she wouldn’t have missed the experience for anything. “It was kind of my last hurrah as a senior,” Spraul explains. “It’s like the icing on the cake. It was a special opportunity to go to this meet and an unbelievable experience.”
Her competitive spirit and unusual talent led to her achievements, and also to a college scholarship. Spraul will swim next season at Division II Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. She verbally committed to the school in August of 2023 and signed a National Letter of Intent three months later.
Westmont Swimming Coach Jill Lin is excited to have Spraul on her team. “I love her commitment to swimming and being the absolute best she can be,” Lin says. “Her swimming background is impressive. She is just willing to put herself out there and just go for it, even in an event she doesn’t have much experience. She is a good asset to the team.”
Going to college in California appealed to 18-year-old Spraul since her father grew up in the southern part of the state. And the academics and athletics at Westmont matched what she wanted in a school.
Photographs courtesy Spraul family
“I wanted to go to a Christian school because my faith is important to me,” Spraul says. “They had a really good swim team and I love the coach. The swim team was also super friendly and welcoming the moment I stepped onto campus. I just loved the team culture.”
Spraul has already set some lofty goals for her college career. She aims to qualify for the NCAA Division II Women’s Swimming and Diving National championships as both a junior and senior.
“I think it’s pretty realistic,” Spraul says. “The environment in college will be different. I will be doing dry land training, which I haven’t done before. It will make me stronger, which will help me in the pool.”
With her dedication to swimming, Spraul is likely right on track. She also swam for the Rockbridge Academy varsity team for four years and holds the school record in the 200 individual medley (2:18.63).
“She is very focused, goal-oriented, and ambitious with a smile,” Rockbridge Swimming Coach Ann Soltis says. “She has a humble spirit and doesn’t need to take the limelight.”
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