Saint Clair to Swim at Wheeling Jesuit

On Monday, Feb. 10, 2014, Upper Moreland senior Amber Saint Clair was recognized at a special news conference for signing a letter of intent to swim at Wheeling Jesuit 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.

 

Amber Saint Clair – Wheeling Jesuit University (Swimming)

Major:  Athletic Training

Final list of colleges:  Wheeling Jesuit, Florida International, Shippensburg, St. Francis

Reasons for choosing Wheeling Jesuit:  “A lot of it was the team environment, and it had all my majors and is an accredited program. I got along really well with all the team. It was just a really great environment. It’s a small school, and the ratio is 13-to-1. It only has 1600 kids enrolled, and it was a nice fit. I visited bigger schools, and I absolutely hated it. The coach was great, and the program is on a steady incline. It will be nice to be on a championship winning team.”

What was the progression that led you to swim at the collegiate level?  “When I was a freshman, I really wanted to swim. That was my main thing, and I was peaking when I was a freshman. It was always something that was in the back of my head. I started receiving letters, so it was always a point of interest, but then I halfway quit swimming my sophomore and junior years. I only swam a little bit, and I was like, ‘After high school, I’m over this.’ I changed my mind after my junior season because I had a really good season, and coaches were interested in me still. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and it turned out to be a great idea. I’m really happy with the decision to swim now.”

Coach Melanie Rowland says:  “The young lady is persistent, and she is goal oriented. She sets goals for herself. I’ve known her since she was six years old. I was her age group developmental coach when she was a young girl, and she always had to be in the last lane because she really wasn’t that good. She was a decent swimmer but nothing to write home about, so she always had someone kicking in front of her. She always had bubbles in her face, and she worked very hard so that she could become better and get up in front of that line. She strives to better herself.
“She broke a standing record for the backstroke when she was a freshman. She did the backstroke in under a minute – in .58, which is really a good time.  I wish her the best of luck in college.”

About Amber:
Favorite food: 
Chipotle
Favorite movie:  Miracle
Favorite music:  Red Hot Chili Peppers

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