Swimming has always been an important part of senior Lucas Correa’s life, whose swimming journey began when his mom signed him up for the swim team at the age of 8. “I remember my mom swam in high school. She signed me up for the swim club, and I really liked the sport, and it’s something I wanted to continue,” he said.
Correa lived in Iowa until the age of 17. In his time there, Correa quickly became immersed in competitive swimming and enjoyed the team atmosphere.
Correa faced personal challenges growing up. “I didn’t really have a lot of friends. I was always lagging behind people, and it kind of lowered my self-esteem coming into middle school,” he added.
Arriving at M-A in his senior year, Correa enjoyed having a fresh start. “I really think coming to M-A was a really big turning point for me. Honestly, it was definitely really big moving upward, getting a new clean slate where people don’t know me, and I can reinvent myself. That’s one of the things I’ve loved absolutely the most about coming from [Iowa],” he said.
Correa enjoys swimming for its physical aspect, which motivated his interest in the sport. “One thing I really like about swimming is [the] full-body workout,” he said.
Even after trying out other sports, swimming was the one that stuck with Correa the most. “I remember I tried doing football in eighth grade, and the biggest thing I like about swimming more is that it’s actually a sport that truly challenges you. It’s not a sport like football,” he said.
Correa’s proudest moment was getting under one minute for the 100-yard freestyle, and it marked a pivotal milestone for his swimming career. “I was saying I need to make a sub one minute. And I did that,” he said.
At the meet where he broke the one minute barrier, he initially came short, going just over a minute in his individual 100-yard freestyle event. However, Correa persisted. “In the 400-yard relay that same meet, I actually did get a sub one. And so that was an added ‘Damn, I actually did it.’ So that was my proudest [moment].”
Beyond physical demands, Correa emphasizes the mental side of the sport. “Swimming is a mental sport, it’s more about your mindset than your muscles, and physical condition. And there are a lot of times where if I’m not telling myself I’m gonna get a PR [personal record], I just don’t get a PR,” he said.
Correa is also adamant about promoting a positive team culture. “Something that would happen in my [previous team] is literally every single person, every upperclassman would make some sort of comment to an underclassman after every race. They would never be doing their own thing. Even in the weight room, they would go out of their way when they’re doing their own workouts if they see an underclassmen lifting improperly and help them with their technique.”
Correa looks up to the mentors he’s surrounded himself with, both on the swim team and at home. “Definitely on the swim team, I got a shout-out to senior Isaac [Chuang]. He has the most admirable relationships with sports and academics. I’m always trying to follow him,” he said.
His advice to other athletes is to always outperform yourself. “Winning and getting results is important, but what’s even more important is that you know you beat yourself, you did your best, and those results will come on their own.”
