Name: Bryn Wilson
School: Mars Area High School
Sport: Swimming for the Mars Fightin’ Planets in varsity and club swimming for Riptide Swim Team (RESY)
Commitment: Division III swimming for the Montclair State University Red Hawks. The institution is located in Montclair, New Jersey and is home to over 21,000 students. The Red Hawks are members of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC). The program went 10-2 this past season and finished third in the NJAC.
Swimming Accolades: Two-year captain of the Mars girls’ swimming, qualified for WPIALs in her sophomore, junior, and senior seasons (200 freestyle sophomore, junior, and senior year and 100 butterfly senior year). In her club seasons, she qualified for districts all four years and qualified for states in the 200 butterfly sophomore and junior year.
Why She Chose Montclair State: After a long recruiting process, she began to discover what she was truly looking for in a school and swimming program. The coaches at Montclair State felt the most genuine and interested in her swimming journey.
Academic Interest and Accomplishments: Communications and Media Studies major with plans to work in social media. She’s also a four-year high honors student at Mars.
Extracurricular Activities: Member of Key Club, Future Business Leaders Of America (FBLA), Varsity Club, Treasurer of Interact Club, Lifeguard and coach at Treesdale Country Club, and assistant coach for RESY at the elementary level.
Top Athletic Memories: The journey and times with teammates and competing at multiple WPIAL Championships.
What RESY Means to Her: “I have been with RESY for eight years and this is where I started to swim competitively. Over the years, RESY has really become my family. I have made so many lifelong friendships and my older friends on RESY are the ones that really inspired me to want to swim in college. The friends that I have made through the club are some of my closest friends and I truly am so grateful and proud of each and every one of them. I also am so lucky to have had the best coaches through my time with RESY. They all truly care about you as a person and not just as a swimmer.”
People Who Have Supported and Aided Most: “Coach Todd Slobodynak is the best coach I could have asked for. He definitely made me into the swimmer I am and also shaped me as a person outside of the pool. He really works hard to make sure that we are working hard, while also having fun. Coach Karen Guise has also been a true swim-mom to me. I have been able to talk to her about anything in my life and she always listens. She has also always stepped in when we needed her most. I also want to thank my parents Christine and James Wilson and my younger brother, Brady, for supporting me so much throughout my life. They’ve traveled a lot to watch me compete and have sat through so many 12-hour swim meets!”
What Her Closest Friend Group Means: “I have grown up in the same neighborhood as Zoey Krock and Ainsley Ray. Having them right down the road growing up has been a pleasure for my life. Mckenna Merritt, Zoey, and Ainsley are all my sisters for life and I couldn’t imagine life without them. I am so excited to see what we all accomplish in college and beyond. I know they will be my best friends for the rest of my life.”
Sports Life Prior to Swimming: She was a gymnast for several years and began at a young age. “Gymnastics taught me how to be disciplined from a young age, which I have carried into swimming and life.”
Western PA Sports Blog 