Senior freestyle swimmer Rachel Thompson wants to break a few team records in her final year swimming for WSU. She wants to drop time in all her events.

Thompson is a marketing major at WSU, originally from Orange, California. She competes in the 200 and 500 freestyle events for the swim team. Thompson began swimming for WSU in the 2014-2015 season.

“My individual goal is to break a few team records. I’ve been looking at that 200 free record for a really long time.” Thompson said.

The WSU swim team has set a few goals for the end of the season, including having a winning record and breaking more relay records.
Last year at the Pac-12 Championships, Thompson earned the fifth-fastest time in WSU history in the 200 free, touching the wall in 1:49.23. She also earned Pac-12 Conference All-Academic Honorable Mention honors with a 3.12 GPA.

Last season, WSU finished eighth at the Pac-12 Championships. Thompson was on the WSU’s 800 free relay team along with graduated senior Addisynn Bursch, sophomore Jasmine Margetts and freshman Ryan Falk. They finished in 7:14.51, surpassing the previous record by nearly four seconds. As a team, the Cougars finished with 334 points.

Thompson said that swim has taught her hard work, dedication and time management. She’s learned that working hard will get you to your goals, maybe not right away, but it will happen.

The California native is excited for the first meet of the season against Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo Thursday. She said that she feels that the team will do very well against Cal Poly, Santa Barbara and Arizona. Their first three matches this season.

“I’m really excited to go to California because I’m from California, so it’s like almost going home,” Thompson said. “I’m really excited to see how our newcomers do because that’s half our team.”

Eight of the team’s 20 swimmers this season are freshmen. Thompson is among four seniors on the swim team. Thompson said she feels bittersweet about swimming her last year at WSU, but enthusiasm from Head Coach Tom Jager has gotten her, and the entire team excited for their first home match against Arizona.

Unsure of whether she will continue to swim at a competitive level after graduating from WSU, Thompson said she knows for sure she will continue to swim after graduation. Thompson and the swim team travel to California Thursday to face Cal Poly at 6 p.m. The Cougars will hold their first home meet Oct. 14 against Arizona.