Qualified in 500, 1,650 and 800 free relay.
By Mike Miazga
Correspondent
Elmhurst resident Cara LoPiano is finishing off her collegiate swimming career in grand fashion.
LoPiano, a senior at the University of Chicago who attended York and graduated from Hinsdale Central, qualified for three events at the upcoming NCAA Division III nationals March 15-18 in Shenandoah, Texas.
LoPiano will swim in the 500, 1,650 and will be part of Chicago’s 800 relay team. This is her third time qualifying for the national meet. In her first year at Chicago she swam the 1,650, 500, 200 and 800 relay, while her second year she swam the 500, 200 and 1,650.
LoPiano attributes her improvement this season to her training regimen. “We amped up our weight-lifting program,” she said. “That helped a lot. We have done a lot of out of pool training.”
Being a senior also had a little something to do with it.
“It’s my senior year and my last time. I wanted to give it everything I have left and try and have a good last swim season,” said LoPiano.
LoPiano has worked on her starts this season in the 500. “I used to be afraid to go out fast,” she said. “If you go out stronger you are in better shape. I just started swimming like I used to.”
LoPiano also achieved a long-standing goal of hers this season in the 500.
“I broke five minutes for the first time,” she said. “I met a big-time goal of mine. It’s something I’ve had in mind since my second year of high school. I was able to do it in the conference meet. I executed my start and I made sure I was ready to race mentally. It was a lot of fun. That was a big goal.”
She noted confidence has played a big role in her success in the 1,650 race. “I’ve gotten better at the mile,” she said. “It’s a race I’m not afraid of. When I start I go out strong and have the conditioning to finish the race hard and hold my pace. I’ve been doing what I’ve practiced and that’s being focused the entire race.”
LoPiano is studying environmental science at Chicago. “I’m looking for jobs dealing with sustainability,” she said.
LoPiano, a team co-captain this season, also is thankful for the education part of her University of Chicago experience.
“It’s been incredibly hard,” she said. “It’s a lot of hard work and studying. You have to do everything you can to be prepared. It’s been incredible. I’ve had a lot of great opportunities here and learned from a lot of great people.”
And she’s fashioned herself an exceptional collegiate swimming career. Did she foresee this success?
“Absolutely not,” she said. “I didn’t think that let alone when I graduated from high school. I just knew I wasn’t done swimming. I couldn’t imagine how much swimming means to me and how much studying here means to me. I’m glad I came here because of how much better I got as a swimmer and how much I grew as a person. It’s been spectacular.”
LoPiano was an honorable-mention All-American in the 800 free relay and the 1,650 race as a freshman and sophomore. She was part of the Chicago 800 relay team that set the school record her sophomore year.
In the classroom, she was a CSCAA first-team scholar All-American her freshman year, a UAA all-academic selection her sophomore and junior years and a CSCAA honorable-mention scholar All-American last season.
The Independent will have a feature next week on Shannon Sullivan, another former York girls swimmer (and a teammate of LoPiano’s) enjoying success at the collegiate level.
