Rachel Regone visited Clemson unsure about where to go to college to swim. She left campus knowing she belonged at Clemson. The senior took a break from filling out medical school applications to talk with theACC.com about choosing Clemson and her plans for the future.
What is something that most people don't know about you?
I was home schooled from first through eighth grade.
Quick Facts
Favorite Movie: Pan's Labyrinth
Favorite Pregame Music: Anything I can sing
Favorite Pregame Meal: Pasta
Favorite Place on Campus: Anywhere outside |
When and how did you start swimming competitively?
I started summer league when I was four and year-round/club swimming when I was six. I lived in a great neighborhood with a lot of young families and they were all in summer league so my parents signed (my brother and me) up. The second year that I swam summer league, there was this one boy that had improved a lot from the first year to the second year. He had joined a club league. My brother and I wanted to be that good, so we joined the same league.
Did you play any other sports in high school?
No. I played soccer when I was three and four, then my parents told me I had to pick one sport, and swimming won out.
Did you swim any national-level meets?
I qualified for the swimming US Open when I was in eighth grade. That was held in New York during my freshman year. I got my national cuts soon after and went to both the spring and summer nationals.
I went to the Olympic Trials this past summer. They were amazing. To go and watch was amazing, then to compete there was truly an honor. It was the epitome of my swimming career.
Why did you choose Clemson?
My brother went here. He was recruited and decided to go. He is two years older than me. I had several more recruiting trips, and he liked it a lot, so I decided to come on a trip. I was not planning on attending Clemson. I didn't want to follow my brother. I ended up liking it a lot. The people here are incredibly friendly. It felt like home immediately as soon as I walked on campus. I hadn't felt that at any other school I visited. It fit with who I am.
What do you do when you're not in the pool?
Schoolwork and leadership activities. I am president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) so I organize things for that. In my truly free time, I enjoy playing the piano. I have a keyboard in my room, so I sometimes spend a couple hours doing that. I am a captain on the swim team, so some time is spent organizing activities for that. I also love to read.
How did you get involved in SAAC and what are some of the things you do at Clemson?
My coach nominated me for SAAC when I was a freshman; I had no idea what it was when I first went in there. I didn't even know we had our first meeting, one of the upperclassman took me there. I didn't even know I was a member until I got there.
I was on SAAC for two years as just a member. I decided that I took notes at the meetings anyway, I would run for secretary. I was secretary last year, then the position opened up for president and I thought I would want to take on that role. Abby Fernandez was our president last year and she had done a really great job. I just wanted to keep it moving forward.
We do a lot of community service events. We just did "Tigers in the Kitchen," which is when we go to one of our dining halls and serve food there for the other students. We have a "Thank-a-thon" coming up, which is when we call our donors just to thank them. We're not asking for donations or anything. In the spring, we have the "Be a Tiger" event. It is an event for elementary school students. We teach them character traits and values. A lot of the teams participate. We have different stations and we play with the kids. We also are having a philanthropy dance. A lot of the student-athletes have wanted to have a dance for a few years, so we are trying to incorporate a charity into that.
What do you want to do after college?
I am applying to medical school. I have applied to Johns Hopkins, which is something not all of my teammates know. I would like to go to medical school, but I might defer (med school) for a year to get some experience outside of the (classroom). I applied for a Fulbright Grant in Trinidad & Tobago to work with HIV/AIDS. Hopefully I'll get that. I find out if I'm a finalist (at the end of January) and then I find out if I got it in April or May. Unfortunately, I have to tell medical schools whether or not I'm attending by May 1. Hopefully it will all work out so I can go to Trinidad & Tobago and then medical school the next year.
What is your most memorable moment in your swimming career?
My sophomore year, at the ACC Championship, with the 200 freestyle relay. We were in lane two, and were not expected to win it. We all wanted to go to NCAAs and this was the first year most of us could go. We wrote the time we needed to go on our (feet). We got together before the race and got each other pumped up. We swam lifetime bests. I got my 'A' cut leading off the relay and then everyone did incredible. We won by three one-hundredths of a second, broke the Clemson record and broke the ACC Championship record. Then we knew we were going to NCAAs. Watching my teammates finish and seeing the number one on the board was the most memorable experience.
How do you perform at such a high level in the pool and still excel academically?
God has given me a lot of talents and I feel like I need to use them. I want to do well in those things. My coach says I am really intense and my teammates say the same thing. I really believe that if I put my heart in to it, I can accomplish these things.
There is a cutoff point where you can do too much and you don't do as well in some things. As far as academics and athletics have gone, I have learned to balance them over the years so I can work at a high level.
What are some of your individual goals for the season?
I would love to score at NCAAs. We want to be a top 25 team, and to do that we need to score at NCAAs. I was pretty close last year in the 50 free, and I really should be in there. That is my main goal. I also want to get in the 100 free. We also want to score in our relays there. We want to take a few more girls; we've only taken four the past few years.
At the ACC Championship, we want to improve on our fifth-place finish last year. We want to finish in the top three. We are training really hard. It has been a tough year training wise, but I think we are more mentally prepared this year than ever.
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