Just think how impressive Zoey Snellings will be once she figures things out.
In discussing how she balances high school academics with swimming, the Lawrence High junior said, “Every day it’s a little different, I have to choose which one I need to focus on. I’m still figuring it out.”
And while doing this “figuring,” all she has accomplished in her first two years of high school is amass a 4.4 weighted grade point average while taking advanced placement courses; and reach the finals in all four of her events at last year’s Mercer County Championship meet.
She is one of the Cardinals top returning swimmers who can take on any event and usually earn a Top 3 finish.
“The exact word to describe Zoey is ‘versatile,’” Cardinals coach Hillary Hargraves-Dix said. “She’ll swim whatever is needed of her, she’s really talented in everything. She’s a pretty dedicated club swimmer, she also swims for Eastern Express but she makes a great effort to make it to our practices and be a part of this team.”
It doesn’t end there.
“She has a great work ethic,” Hargraves-Dix continued. “She works really hard; truly cares about her stroke and her technique. She asks questions, asks how she can improve. She’s a great AP student, very well liked and respected by her teachers and peers. She’s a very well-rounded individual.”
It seems as though she’s not figuring things out as much as just polishing her act at this point. Snellings started this season with two thirds, a second and a fourth in an opening-day dual meet against Princeton, one of the top teams Lawrence will face this year.
As a freshman, swimming in all 11 events during the dual meet season, Snellings won eight races and finished second 12 times and third 12 times. Swimming every event but the 50 free last year, she recorded 10 firsts, 19 seconds and five thirds.
In last season’s MCT Snellings had Top 12 finishes in the 200 and 500 freestyle, medley relay and 400 free relay.
“She scored a ton of points for us and swam really well,” Hargraves-Dix said.
Snellings brought a wealth of swimming experience into high school.
She began with Ben Franklin Swim Club at age 6 and has been swimming with their PASDA rec team ever since. After a stint with the Lawrence Lightning program Snellings joined the Eastern Express four years ago.
“That has helped a lot,” she said. “That’s really been the biggest step forward for me.”
Her coach could not wait for Snellings’ arrival.
“I knew about her from my background with the summer swim club,” Hargraves-Dix said. “I knew her when she was much younger and I knew she was coming up. She was always a natural swimmer and when I heard she was on a club team I knew she was gonna be a great addition to the team.”
Although her favorite strokes are the 200 and 500 freestyles in high school and the 1000 and mile in club, she made it a point to be an all-around performer.
“I just worked a long time on all my strokes,” Snellings said. “I think I’m pretty versatile except for the breaststroke. I’m not so hot with that. I’ve had a lot of coaches who emphasized being versatile, being able to do every stroke and allowing other strokes to help your better strokes.”
That has been a gift for Hargraves-Dix when she fills out her dual meet lineup sheet.
“Her versatility is rare,” the coach said. “It’s one of her biggest assets. I love being able to count on her to do whatever I need. I know she’ll do it with a good attitude and that’s something I’m very grateful for as a coach.”
Despite her club experience, Snellings was uncertain of how she would fare in high school competition.
“I thought I could do all right,” she said. “I was like ‘OK, I know I can swim club and can probably do well.’ It’s definitely been fun to be at high school and have that success. I don’t know if I expected it. I really had no idea what I was coming into freshman year. Everything is kind of a surprise.”
Two years later, Snellings finds herself as one of the leaders on a team that was hit hard by graduation. There are just two seniors on the roster and Hargraves-Dix is counting on the juniors to help guide the youngsters.
“Although Zoey wasn’t selected as a captain, she has that natural ability to lead and be a role model,” the coach said. “Sometimes she’s not there because of club but she will make the effort to be here for a full practice with the team when she comes. She’s making the effort, making her face and presence known to the other swimmers. I think being part of that camaraderie is very important to her.”
Snellings, in fact, loves the camaraderie. She noted that club swimming is an exercise in getting top times, while high school swimming is about pulling together for team success and she appreciates being one of the swimmers her teammates look to for guidance.
“It’s really cool being an upperclassman, being able to see everything from a little different perspective,” she said. “I look back and think ‘When I was a freshman, what did I like about the seniors and juniors, and how did they interact with me?’ I like to be there and be a good teammate to the younger kids. It’s very intimidating your freshman year joining a team you’ve never been a part of.”
No matter what the environment, however, being in the pool is Snellings’ comfort zone. It’s a place to escape the pressures of the day, in whatever form they may come.
“I love to come to practice,” she said. “Whatever issues I had at school – socially, academically, anything – I just go to practice and swim. It’s in the back of my head but I’m more thinking about my swimming, how my body is feeling and all that stuff.”
When Snellings is not swimming competitively, she is doing so in other areas as a lifeguard and coach at Ben Franklin. She also takes part in a volunteer program at Capital Health in Hopewell helping escort patients around the hospital.
“I spend a lot of my summer at Ben Franklin,” she said. “I coach the Junior Dolphins, which are the younger kids on the team. I work with kids who are almost able to swim but not exactly. Junior Dolphins are for kids who can’t do a full lap across the pool. I get the kids over that bridge and get them into the big pool to take that big step. It’s really awesome to see. They’re another highlight of my day.”
It sounds like Snellings is actually pretty good at figuring out what’s important.
Lawrence High School swimmer Zoey Snellings during a recent competition. (Contributed photo.),
