On Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013, Norristown senior Nicole Martorella was recognized at a special news conference for signing a letter of intent to swim at Shippensburg University. To view photos of the signing, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Cardinal Camera sponsors all SOL college signings on SuburbanOneSports.com. For additional information about purchasing a commemorative keepsake of the signing, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/forms/college-signings.
Nicole Martorella – Shippensburg University (Swimming)
Major: Exercise Science with a minor in Biology
Final list of schools: Shippensburg, Franklin & Marshall, West Chester, California (Pa.), Bloomsburg
Reasons for choosing Shippensburg: “The coach was really interested in me, and when I went up for my visit, I just loved everything about the team and the location of it. I didn’t even have to step on the campus to really make my decision. Once I came into town, everything fell into place. The coach was really a deciding factor.”
What was the progression that led you to swim at the collegiate level? “In my sophomore year of high school, I was like, ‘You know what – I think I do want to swim in college.’ I really didn’t start thinking about it until last year – who I wanted to swim for and all that. That really came to me during the summer. It was a little late, but it still worked out.”
Coach Beth O’Neil says: “Nicole is probably one of the hardest working athletes I’ve ever coached. She sets goals for herself. We give her workouts, and she always wants more. She swims anywhere between 10,000 and 12,000 yards in a practice, and she will not stop until she’s finished it. There have been tears because we’ve pushed her beyond her limitations, but it shows in her results. She has broken her own pool record in the breaststroke again last year, and two years ago, she broke the school record that stood for over 30 years. She’s broken the meter record as well, and I’m sure that will drop again this year. She worked all summer. She has qualified for U.S. cuts already. She’s made her decision to swim at Shippensburg, and I expect even greater things of her there.”
About Nicole:
Favorite food: Chicken Cutlet
Favorite movie: Napoleon Dynamite
Favorite music: Alternative Rock & Rap
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