On May 20, 2011, Central Bucks South seniors Lauren Ahrens and Tim Ware were recognized for signing letters of intent to swim at the collegiate level. Both will be swimming at the University of Delaware.
Lauren Ahrens – University of Delaware (Swimming)
Major: Health & Physical Education with a minor in NutritionFinal list of colleges: Delaware, University of Connecticut, University of Rhode Island
Reasons for choosing Delaware: “The distance – I wanted to stay closer to home, and I just felt more comfortable with the team there. Delaware also had my specific major, and I loved the campus.”
What was the progression that led you to swim at the collegiate level? “I really only started thinking about it midway through my junior year – that I could compete in college. After my junior swim season is when I really started looking at colleges and their swim teams, not just their academics.
“Coaches had been sending letters, but that was when I was unsure whether I was really going to swim. After my junior year, I started putting more thought into it and started filling out the on-line questionnaires. If they got back to me, I started looking at their academics too and whether I could fit in well there. I started scheduling recruiting trips to the schools I was really interested in. It was very stressful, but it was relieving signing early and just having a stress-free senior season.”
Coach Jeff Lake says: “Lauren works her tail off, and she’s there practicing every morning. She was a captain both her junior and senior years and actually was the best female swimmer we have had in this program.
“What set Lauren apart was her versatility. She’s an IM’er which means you have to swim all the strokes. She made districts in every single event. Most swimmers – their goal is just to make districts. There are 10 events, and she made it in every one. That’s unbelievable.
“Half the record board has her name on it, and if we had her swim those other events in districts, she would have the record in those events too. Her in-season times were almost beating the records of tapered times. Lauren holds the record in the 200 IM, 100 back, 100 free, 400 free relay and 200 medley relay. She’s a racehorse. You put her in a race, and if it comes down to that, you know she’ll give everything she has and pull it out for you. She will be sorely missed.”
Tim Ware – University of Delaware (Swimming)
Major: Marketing with a minor in advertising in the business schoolFinal list of colleges: Delaware, William & Mary, Boston University, Rider
Reasons for choosing Delaware: “Really it was the team and the atmosphere, and I loved the campus. It was a great place to be. I liked the coach a lot, and they also offered me the most money, so in terms of that, it made the financial situation a lot better. I also got into the honors college at Delaware, so that played into the decision also.”
What was the progression that led you to swim at the collegiate level? “I started thinking about it last year. That was the first time I made states, and that’s when I started thinking I could compete at the college level. That’s when I started to think I could get recruited to swim at college in general.
“I had to really drop my other sports and focus solely on swimming. I swam for my club team year round and my high school team in the winter, so it really was a lot of dedication to swimming. Talking to coaches – I really had to learn the sport and be around it all the time. It was stressful at times, but it’s all worth it in the end.”
Coach Jeff Lake says: “The thing that sets Tim apart is his desire and his work ethic. He was here practicing every morning and was at 11 practices a week. He just worked his tail off, and his underwater butterfly kick is unbelievable.
“He was a captain this year, and he was awesome leading the guys in the pool, pushing them when it was tough and explaining, ‘This is why we’re doing the set. This is the whole purpose of doing it.’ He provided very valuable leadership.
“Tim has the school record in the 100 back and 100 fly, and when you have someone at that high level, you’re always trying to push to get up to that level. You definitely need that top end, and he definitely provided that for us.
“He’s a bright young man, a great young man, and he’ll do very well. I’ve had the privilege of coaching his older brother and now him. His younger sister swims as well. It’s a great family.”
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