Yoshida
By one’s sophomore year, students are often at a crossroad. Some transfer to a new school, others reconsider their career path, most even opt to change majors.
Consider Michelle Yoshida, second-year standout of the women’s swimming and diving team among those embracing change, only Yoshida isn’t seeking to refine her craft; she’s already mastered it.
“I haven’t really thought about next year yet,” Yoshida says with an unassuming smile. “But, right now, my first thoughts: I want to try to mix it up and swim some different events. Maybe backstroke or something different just to change it up a bit.”
Yoshida’s potential Michael Phelps-ian decision to switch strokes next season may lie in the future, but it is clear that the sophomore has seized the present belongs. Only a year ago, the Kaneohe, Hawaii native became Fairfield’s first triple champion at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Championship (MAAC) in Baltimore. A season later, Yoshida proved unfazed at the task of an encore performance by repeating as the league champion in the 50-yard freestyle, the 100-yard freestyle, and the 200-yard freestyle and did so in record-breaking fashion.
So impressive was Yoshida’s two-year repeat performance that the two records that fell in her three individual events — the 50-yard free and the 100-yard free — were her own records previously set only twelve months earlier.
“There was a lot more pressure this year, though,” Yoshida said of the contrast between her freshman and sophomore seasons. “I wasn’t even placed first going into (MAAC Championships this year), but I still felt people expecting certain things. So it was a lot harder in my opinion.”
While the sophomore’s individual accolades are impressive, Yoshida is quick to point at the profound progress the team as shown in her two years at Fairfield. The results echo a similar theme, as Yoshida participated in four record-setting relays during this year’s MAAC Championships.
“All I see is us going upwards from here,” Yoshida said. “As long as we have strong freshman classes coming in, we can only improve and grow stronger. It will motivate the upperclassmen to work harder since we’ll have faster people.”
“I’m really looking forward to the next few years,” Yoshida added.
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