By: Gowri Sunil and Megan Saul
News Editor and Editor-in-Chief
Swim star Kiana Koechlin is finishing her final season at LGHS strong while gearing up to begin her Division 1 athletic career at Georgetown University. As a leader of LGHS’s team and local club, Quicksilver Swimming, she has positively influenced her teammates’ experiences while helping drive the team’s success.
First discovering swimming at age six, Koechlin began racing competitively when she turned ten. Though she loves the sport now, Koechlin notes that it wasn’t always this way. Following the COVID pandemic, she recalled that her swimming “came to a pause for a second, I hated it, and I dreaded going to practice.” Upon returning to the pool after the COVID shutdowns, Koechlin found her passion once again, attributing her discipline to the sport.
Currently, she holds LGHS records in the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relays, as well as the 100-yard breaststroke, a stroke she specializes in. Though she’s achieved significant success, Koechlin points out the intense mental side of swimming. Though she described swimming as “the most rewarding thing ever,” she also emphasized the importance of maintaining a positive mindset when facing tough moments in the sport.
Throughout her swimming career, Koechlin has relied heavily on her support system, including her mom, whom she describes as her biggest supporter. Alongside her mother, Koechlin’s coach from Quicksilver, Carrie Mox, has been a huge mentor for her, as Koechlin enthused: “[Carrie has] seen me through all of my ups and downs. And she’s also not only a coach, but one of my best friends.”
Koechlin began the recruiting process during the summer after her sophomore year. While successful, she explained how “it doesn’t really have anything to do with your worth. You get a bunch of rejections and acceptances, kind of like regular college admissions.” Ultimately landing on Georgetown, Koechlin knew it was where she wanted to spend her next four years for many reasons, including its academic and athletic prestige. She intends to major in economics and is particularly interested in behavioral economics.
During spring break, Koechlin visited Georgetown to spend time with her future teammates. She shared, “Before visiting, I was honestly really nervous about moving away because D.C. is so far, but after I had met my teammates and my classmates, I’m so relieved and grateful to have met a group of people so diverse and enjoyable to be with.” She continued, “It already feels like we’re family. I feel like I’m part of something so much bigger than myself, and I already know these people are going to push me to be the greatest version of myself and better, inside and outside of the pool.”
Koechlin’s talent in the pool is comparable to her kindness in conversation. These qualities are sure to take her far at Georgetown next year and beyond.