Born to swim

By Brandon Samora
The Today

Katy Zimmerman has been swimming for as long as she can remember. Since age 6, she has had the passion and the drive to pull her childhood dreams into her reality.

Zimmerman hails from Cypress, Texas, and called the community northeast of Houston home her entire life. She was all in on her goal of becoming the best swimmer she could be.

“Swimming has always been my stress reliever,” the sophomore said. “It’s been my outlet as long as I can remember.

“I never did any other sports because I’m not a land animal.”

As a member of the Cypress Creek High School swim and dive team, Zimmerman earned All-Texas 6A honors in 2019 and held a spot on the All-Texas District 5 All-Academic Team all four years of her high school career. A committed student-athlete, she had a decision to make when it came to continuing her swimming career. Signing day came and went, and she signed her letter of intent to swim collegiately for CSU-Pueblo.

College is hard. Moving to a new and unknown place is hard. Zimmerman made the 14-hour drive and arrived in Pueblo. Pueblo and Colorado natives may take our unpredictable climate for granted year in and year out, but adjusting to the Colorado climate is not for the faint of heart.

“I remember coming out of practice one night and realizing that my wet hair was frozen solid,” the distance swimmer said. “Everyone told me it was normal, I couldn’t wrap my head around it.”

But with new places come new experiences, and it was her teammates who got her through tough times. Pressure, anxiety and adrenaline were always present, and for students trying to accomplish lifelong goals, some challenges can seem insurmountable.

“I never did any other sports because I’m not a land animal.”

But, there is one word that can describe the start of Zimmerman’s career at CSU-Pueblo: confident. In her first event as a Thunderwolf, she took home three first-place finishes in the 200-yard Freestyle, 500-yard Freestyle and 1000-yard freestyle. In a 2020-21 season shortened by the pandemic, Zimmerman managed to crush it at the RMAC Championships. With only three meets to prepare, the then-freshman recorded 52 points total to lead her team, with a top-10 finish in all of her individual events and two top-four finishes.

The 2021-22 season has been nothing short of dominant for Katy Zimmerman. Her sophomore year has been filled with multiple first-place finishes every meet, including five firsts at the Colorado College Classic a week ago. This is what great athletes expect out of themselves, and the hard work is certainly paying off.

“Have faith in what people tell you. It’s always hard to live up to that and to hold yourself accountable,” she said. “Don’t have any regrets either. Do what’s right for you and prove everyone wrong.”

Up next for the sophomore are the RMAC Championships, next week Zimmerman will be competing in four individual and likely a few relay events, in the hopes to come home as an RMAC Champion.

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