Inspired by her older brother, Co-Captain Liz Tran ’19 decided to join her local YMCA swim team at just nine years old. After swimming competitively throughout her childhood, Tran joined Andover Girls Swimming & Diving her Junior year. According to Tran, she’s experienced a completely new side of the sport since coming to Andover. “My old club team was very individual. People were mostly just trying to get better for themselves. Swimming at Andover is just a really different atmosphere, in terms of the team and people rooting for you,” Tran said. According to Tran, the supportive community on the swim team contributes to her love of the sport. “My favorite thing about swimming at Andover is definitely the sense of team. Even though swimming can be such an individual sport, everybody’s working together and everyone is working towards one goal. It’s just really different from club swimming, knowing that people have your back and that everything you do is conducive to one goal,” she added. As Co-Captain, Tran supports each member of the team and encourages everyone to do their best, according to teammate Abby Ryan ’21. Ryan said, “During the meets, she’s also very calm and collected, but she’s always there to cheer you on and still is a role model for everyone in the way that she races. She’s always looking out for you individually and giving you pointers on how to approach races better, and that’s really considerate of her since she also has her own meet to focus on.” According to Head Coach Paul Murphy ’84 and Co-Captain Macey Mannion ’19, Tran’s experience, tireless work ethic, and thoughtfulness make her a role model for her teammates, enabling her to motivate the team for success. In an email to The Phillipian, Murphy wrote, “She sets the tone in the pool by making sure she swims at a high level each day – quietly motivating. She’s just a super positive force. We can always count on Liz paying close attention to others and cheering them to victory.” Mannion said, “She’s definitely really educated in the world of swimming. In the pool she never tries to slack off, never tries to shorten sets or anything. She’s always the one to lead the lane and motivate people to do their best. To help the team win, she’s just really supportive, always asking people about their races, and cheering.” In addition to her role as a motivational figure, Tran’s lively personality brings a contagious positivity to the pool, according to teammate Jackie Rossi ’20. Rossi said, “Liz is really, really fun on the team. She always has a smile on her face when she gets to the pool, and she’s also really goofy, so it lights up everybody’s day.” Tran’s diverse skill set in the pool sets her apart as a crucial asset to the team’s success, according to Ryan and Rossi. Ryan said, “She swims everything. She’s quite versatile… She can fit in anywhere, but her versatility and her willing approach just to do anything is really awesome.” “Liz is really useful to have on the team because we can sort of put her in any event we want to put her in and she’ll always pull through,” Rossi added. Overall, Tran’s positive attitude and passion for what she does is evident in her performance, both as a teammate and captain, according to Mannion. Mannion said, “There’s a quote from Liz in a video from last year, and somebody asks her ‘Liz, how are you doing?’ and she responds saying, ‘I couldn’t be doing better.’ That just shows how much she loves the team and loves the sport.”
