Competing at the Division I level as a female swimmer is like trying to be a diamond in the rough. According to the NCAA, only 3.3 percent of all female high school swimmers go on to compete at a Division I school

This season, Ball State women’s swim and dive is coming off, arguably, its best regular season in more than a decade. Finishing at 5-1 in dual meets this season, the Cardinals are riding high to Athens, Ohio, for the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship set for March 6-9.

A handful of the success this season can be attributed to the underclassmen.

At the head of the sophomore class is the 50 and 100 freestyle program record holder, Peyton Kelly. Coming from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Kelly came in having already medaled at Junior Nationals in 2019 and at the Western Canadian Championships. With her performances, she caught the attention of Ball State head coach J. Agnew.

“My first phone call with J. wasn’t the standard ‘What’s your name, what are your grades, and what do you swim,’” Kelly said. “J. wanted to know about my family, how I was dealing with [the COVID-19 pandemic], and other things I was doing to better myself during [COVID-19] when no one else asked. If I’m going to go somewhere far from home, I want to be with a coach who respects me and wants to help me grow as a person and not a number on their spreadsheet.” 

Kelly immediately made her mark with her 50 freestyle time being the eighth-best in program history. Despite the success, Kelly still felt like it was a struggle to begin her first season in the red and white.

“I struggled to find my place and my groove on the team and find how to thrive on my own,” Kelly said. “I am really proud of how I grew the back half of last season and over the summer into this season.”

Similar to Kelly, a new diamond has emerged from the Cardinals’ freshman class this season. Freshman Alexa Von Holtz came to Ball State as one of the best high school athletes in the state of New York. 

“We had very small sports teams, but the community was so supportive there, and it just made everything so much better,” Von Holtz said. “[Breaking records] so young gave me a mindset to set your goals, and know what you’re capable of.”

It took Von Holtz a little bit to get going at Ball State. However, after a sweep of the 100 and 200 butterfly and winning three events in Ball State’s first dual this season against Buffalo, there was no looking back. 

“I wasn’t sure what to expect, especially being a freshman,” Von Holtz said. “I knew I was going to have to work to earn my spot, and I am just so glad to see all of the hard work paying off over the years, especially this season.”

Everything came full circle for Kelly and Von Holtz on a mid-November day in downtown Indianapolis. In IUPUI Natatorium, Kelly and Von Holtz stole the show in the pool. 

While taking wins in the 50 and 100 freestyle events, Kelly broke her 50 freestyle record (22.32) and set the program record in the 100 freestyle (49.12). 

“It is weird to think of it like that, but it is what I came to do,” Kelly said. “I wanted to be someone who could step up on a relay, or someone who could set that school record and leave a legacy and so being able to achieve those goals, even at mid-season, was amazing.”

Von Holtz performed just as dominantly, finishing with three individual event wins (200 IM, 400 IM, 200 Butterfly) and breaking the program record in the 200 IM by two whole seconds (2:00.85). She also took second in program history in the 400 IM (4:21.75) and 200 butterfly (2:00.06). 

“It was a great feeling,” Von Holtz said. “Coming in, [I thought] I had plateaued since junior year [of high school] so I was a little down on myself. Getting those best times gave me a new drive to work harder and set new goals that I didn’t think I could set for myself… Right now my goal for MAC is freshman swimmer of the year.”

In total, Von Holtz earned 16 individual event wins to cap off her regular season, while Kelly racked up 14 individual wins on the season. 

“They’re both underclassmen which is exciting, and it’s also kind of hard,” Agnew said. “When you’re swimming that fast people are going to look to you and say, ‘What the heck are they doing that’s working so well?’ So you become a leader in terms of a role model; their teammates are looking to them. They’re counting on them to demonstrate what they can do on relays as a team and I think they do an excellent job at it every day they come to the pool.”

Contact Dane Massey with comments at dtmassey@bsu.edu or on Twitter @danemassey22.

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