At the Toyota National Championships in Indianapolis, Florida Gulf Coast University's Izzy Ackley will swim against world-class athletes. "This is the biggest meet I've gone to. These are the fastest swimmers I've competed against in my life. There will be Olympians there and everything," she told WINK News.
This competition stands as the top event between Olympic cycles. "It's like the Olympic trials for non-Olympic years. So it's the biggest meet our country offers. And it's great experience for her, getting to swim against some of the fastest athletes in the world," said Dave Rollins, who leads FGCU's swim program.
Fresh off her first year, Ackley has shattered school records and claimed several wins. She claimed gold at the ASUN championship and earned two national titles at the CSCAA National Invitational.
Ackley chose to stay on campus and train through the summer months. "I was talking to him like, hey, what if I just continue to train like we've been training and stay here all summer. Well, that would be great because there's actually a few meets I want you to go to, including this one," Ackley said.
Her coach points to her mindset as a major step forward. "The big growth she's made over the last few months has been her mental approach to everything. You know meets can be scary if you've never competed against some really fast people before. And just seeing how she's approaching everything has been really cool to see," Rollins said.
She'll compete in three events: the 50, 100, and 200 backstroke.
