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Gold and Black Illustrated, Vol 28, Digital 2

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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 28, ISSUE 2 108 ed to the USA Swimming National Team. The momen- tum from Meitz's breakout summer has Klinge convinced she's poised for big things in her final year of collegiate eligibility. "The experience she has this summer has given her a confidence that she can swim with the top-level swim- mers in the country," Klinge said. "That definitely helps her going into this season. It redefines what she thought she was capable of, and gives her the confidence to go after more aggressive goals." After sharing a podium in Indianapolis with swim- mers like world record holder Katie Ledecky and Olympic bronze medalist Leah Smith, Meitz agrees. She said says her goals for her senior season are ones she never would have even imagined as a junior, but adds she wouldn't have set them if she didn't think she could achieve them. For example? "A goal last year would have been to final at Big Tens, and now this year I want to try to win Big Tens," said Meitz. "And that would have never crossed my mind last year. So being able to realize that I can compete with those big dogs is something that I didn't think I could do six months ago." As a team this year, Purdue will be chasing its 11th top-25 NCAA finish in the last 14 seasons (after coming in 23rd in scoring this past March) and also trying to im- prove on a sixth-place Big Ten finish. Klinge wants his program to move forward in 2017-18 and is hoping to at least place in the top 16 at the NCAA Championships in Columbus, Ohio next spring. One highlight of this year's schedule is a training trip to Honolulu over winter break, which means Meitz will be spending her favorite holiday thousands of miles away. Meitz is known for her love of all things Christmas, most notably seasonal desserts (pumpkin, peppermint, triple berry, chocolate, peanut butter, etc. — pretty much any flavor of pie will do), and she spends the entire year counting down the number of days until Dec. 25. "I'm passionate about everything I do," she laughs, "whether it's swimming, school, or dessert." Ask her to recount a favorite compliment she's received, and the first thing that pops into her head is: "Man, you ate that whole pie by yourself!" or "Wow, that's so impressive that you could eat all of that ice cream!" Of course, Meitz comes by her Christmas spirit natu- rally, as her family's house in Waukesha, Wis., annually features a lighting display that would make Clark Gris- wold (of 'Christmas Vacation' fame) proud. And while she'll miss her traditional white Christmas, Meitz is looking forward to a tropical one. "I'm just really excited to be in Hawaii with my team- mates. At first, I was really hesitant about not being with my family for Christmas, but this is the one chance in my life I have to be with my second family at Christmas," Meitz said. The idea of the Boilermaker squad as a family illus- trates Meitz's simple philosophy on how to win in the pool: Have a good time and be a good teammate. "As long as I have fun, I know I'll swim fast," she said. "If you enjoy what you're doing, you're going to work harder and put more effort into it, and the fast swimming will come on its own and when you're closer to your team- mates, it's easier to swim faster. That's what I think." Klinge describes Meitz as "such a great teammate that she would add a ton to the team even if she were an average swimmer," crediting her approach inside and outside the pool for her marked improvement this past May and June. "The swimmers that have a great attitude, work hard every day, are really team-oriented, and then have this fourth component of (handling) little disappointments or setbacks really well without getting discouraged? They're the ones that are going to have a breakthrough," Klinge said. Despite being a two-time honorable mention All-Amer- ican, it's clear Meitz is ultimately an athlete who cares more about her teammates' successes than her own. The year 2017 has unquestionably been a break- through year for Meitz. Will she and the Boilermakers be able to translate that improvement to a truly special 2017-2018 season? One likely answer: Easy as pie. j

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