SARAH WUELLNER, Sports Editor-

Devin Javens ‘22 has spent most of her life in the water, competitively swimming for 18 years since the age of five. “The relationship I have with the water has always been a positive one. It gives you a space away from the rest of the world because you’re in a pool looking at a black line and you can’t hear anything” she described. 

She has two sisters that swam with her when she was younger but says that she is the only one of them who stuck with it. “I started swimming with my older sister to help her learn that she can do things even with her type 1 diabetes diagnosis” Devin reminisced. 

The intensity of her training has definitely picked up since she began. Women’s Varsity Swimming and Diving’s practice schedule consists of morning and afternoon practices four days a week with one practice on Wednesdays and Saturdays. 

“Practice at Denison is unlike anything I have experienced before coming here. It’s very fast paced and very intense but that is also why our team has had so much success. You feel amazing after you leave practice everyday” Devin described.

For swimmers at Denison it is about being a team player, not working as just an individual. “The culture of having a group of people working toward a common goal is something you can only get in college. We rely on each other to keep a positive atmosphere. If you’re dragging that day and you don’t know if you can get through it, there will always be a teammate there to help you” Devin stated.

After having a bulged disk injury where she was out for about six weeks her junior year, Devin decided to take a gap year in California during 2020 where she was able to focus on coaching and swimming. During this time she developed her breast stroke which she hadn’t worked on since middle school.

A moment Devin will never forget from the beginning of her swim career dealt with social interactions and swimming. 

“For about four years I trained at Slippery Rock Aquatic Club. We would play on paddle boards and learn how to dive off of the springboard. I did not weigh everything on one performance, I was doing it because I loved it. Which in the end is what helped me improve”

Her favorite memory from Denison was the conference meet in sophomore year at Denison in which she had bronchitis. Her illness negatively affected her performance until her last event, the 200 backstroke which she says is a very painful event that kills your legs. She pushed herself and was able to drop about three seconds from her time. When she finished her team picked her up and hugged her.

Memories like this have helped Devin become the swimmer she is today and help strengthen her discipline. “Luckily being and staying motivated is not hard for me. After swimming for so many years and being a part of Denison I learned discipline, even when you don’t want to do it, you do it and you try your best” Devin explained.

As Devin prepares to leave Denison, she is determined to maximize her performance. “This is my final season and I want to give myself every chance I can to get better,” Devin stated. 

She sends a special shout out to her team and all the time they’ve spent together, “I am grateful for them as we get each other through tough times while also being by each other’s side for when cool things happen. There is definitely a bond we have from doing something really hard every single day together” Devin exclaimed. 

As Devin sets her sights past graduation, she wants to be a college swim coach and build a successful team like the one she’s been part of for the past four years.