It is widely known that the best leaders are able to make an impact on those around them. For the last four years, WSU women’s swimming has been led by three unique individuals that have made their presence felt both in and out of the pool. Seniors Nicole Proulx, Haley Anderson, and Ali Mand helped catapult the WSU swimming program to new heights. As they each conclude their college swimming careers, they leave behind countless memories that occurred over the past four seasons.

Nicole Proulx

Proulx’s senior season was by far her most successful. She led the Cougars to six dual-meet victories and an above .500 dual-meet record for the first time since 2004. During the Pac-12 championships, Proulx set the school record in the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 49.75 seconds.        

Proulx, originally from Anaheim, California, began swimming at a young age with the help of her father. Unlike many active swimmers, she didn’t begin competitive swimming until she enrolled at Canyon High School.

Proulx made an impact right away on her high school team, and earned four league MVP awards during her high school swimming career. After an illustrious career at Canyon High, Proulx received a scholarship offer from WSU head swimming coach Tom Jager. She was the first swimmer recruited by Jager when he accepted the position in 2011.

After enrolling at WSU, Proulx made her presence felt as a freshman in Jager’s first season as head coach. She earned her first victory in the 100-meter freestyle race against Seattle University on Jan. 21, 2011. Proulx also led the Cougars to an eighth place finish in the 800- and 400-meter freestyle relays at the 2012 Pac-12 Swimming Championships.

As a sophomore, Proulx recorded impressive finishes against tough Pac-12 opponents. She earned second-place finishes in both the 200- and 500-meter freestyle events against Stanford in the season-opening meet. Proulx also helped lead the Cougars to a seventh-place finish in the 400-meter freestyle relay at the 2013 Pac-12 Swimming Championships.

In her junior year, Proulx set multiple school records and led the Cougars to three dual-meet victories. She set the school records in the 200-meter freestyle event, and the 200-meter medley at the 2014 Pac-12 Swimming Championships.

Proulx said the most important thing she learned during her college career is to have great time-management skills.

I learned what was most important in life,” Proulx said. “I learned to put my best effort forward no matter what I do in order to be successful.

Haley Anderson

Anderson, a Bellevue, Washington native, was born to swim. Her father competed at the University of Utah during his college years and got Anderson into swimming when she was just two years old.

During her swimming career at Newport High School, Anderson earned three varsity letters, two high school MVP awards, and was a finalist at the WIAA state championships three times. She also earned the honor of team captain heading into her senior season.

Anderson joined the Cougars as a walk-on during the 2011 season. As a freshman, she scored individual points in every single meet and led the team with 11 points against USC on Oct. 21, 2011. Anderson also finished her freshman season with the 10^th fastest time in the 1650 freestyle event at the Pac-12 Championships.

During her sophomore season, she earned two top finishes against Seattle in the season-opening meet. She also earned a fourth-place finish in the 200-meter freestyle at the Hawkeye Invitational on Dec. 1, 2012. Anderson ended with a season-best time in the 500-meter freestyle at the Pac-12 Championships.

As a junior, she earned a career-best time in the 50-meter freestyle and six top-five finishes during the season. Anderson ended her college swimming career this season as one of the team captains and helped lead the long-distance swimmers on the team to their best season in years.

Anderson said her favorite memory with the Cougars is the team’s performance at this year’s conference championship meet.

“We all came together and did something very special,” Anderson said. “Everyone was in a very good place at the end of the season and I’m excited about the future of the program.”

Ali Mand

This season, Mand earned a career-best finish in the 100-meter backstroke and the 100-meter freestyle at the Pac-12 Championships. She helped lead the Cougars to an eighth place finish at the conference championship meet.      

Mand, originally from Vancouver, Washington, is part of a very athletic family. Her father Chris competed on the Track and Field team at North Carolina in college, while her mother competed on the rowing team at Ohio State.

She was a state champion in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke races as a part of the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics swimming team. Mand graduated high school in 2011and finished in the top 3 percent of her senior class.

After joining the WSU swim team in 2011, Mand made an impact in scoring individual points in every meet during her freshman year. She also performed her best when it mattered most, earning a top-10 finish in the 100-meter butterfly event at the 2011 Hawkeye Invitational, and earned a top-25 finish in the same event at the 2012 Pac-12 Championships.

As a sophomore, Mand helped lead the Cougars to a win over Seattle with top finishes in the 100-meter backstroke and 200-meter medley relay events. She ended the season on a bright note with season-best finishes in the 100-meter butterfly and freestyle races at the 2013 Pac-12 Championships.

In her junior season, Mand earned the fifth-fastest time in program history in the 100-meter butterfly at the 2014 Pac-12 Championships. She also earned a season-best time in the 100-meter freestyle event.

Mand said she is excited to see what the next four years will bring to the Cougar Swimming program.

“The program is on the right track to make it to the next level,” Mand said. “I’m excited to see our swimmers possibly compete at the NCAA Championships for years to come.”