Senior Madi Trosper helped the Ankeny girls’ swimming team to a 27th-place finish in the state meet last week at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center in Iowa City. She placed 31st in the 50 freestyle for the second straight year, posting a time of 25.63 seconds.
Trosper swam the backstroke leg of the 200 medley relay in 28.21 seconds, helping her team to an 11th-place finish in a time of 1:52.62. She later closed out her high school career by swimming the second leg of the 400 freestyle relay in 56.03 as Ankeny placed 18th in that event in 3:44.72.
Here is some inside info on Trosper:
Congratulations on an outstanding career. Is it hard to believe that it’s over?
Yes, I’ve been swimming for 10 years so it has always been a huge part of my life. Knowing that it was my last meet is sad, but I am thankful for all the memories and friends this sport has given me.
You swam about the same time in the 50 freestyle that you did at the regional meet on Nov. 8. How did you feel about the race?
It was a little disappointing not to PR, but I was grateful to have the opportunity to compete at the state meet. Racing the top girls in the state was fun and a good experience.
Your team dropped some time in all three of the relays at the state meet, capped off by the 400 freestyle relay that dropped almost a full second. Was that an emotional event for you since it was your last high school race?
It was definitely sad being my last race ever. We all just wanted to give it our all knowing that it was our last race swimming together.
Your teammate, Maggie Blackmore, told me that the team had a little pep talk before the last relay. Was it you that gave the pep talk?
It was kind of a group pep talk we all gave each other. We just wanted to remind each other to give it our best efforts, especially because it was the last race of the season.
Your team’s highest finish of the meet came in the medley relay. Did you feel like you got the team off to a good start?
The medley relay is one of my favorite races, and I think I gave us the start we were hoping for. I always try to put us in a good position, and the rest of the girls did an amazing job finishing it off.
I’m sure you were disappointed by your team’s disqualification in the 200 freestyle relay. Did you realize right away that there was a DQ?
DQ’s are never a fun thing, but we all chose to look past it and not dwell on it because we had more races later in the day. We didn’t know about it until the end of the relay when they put DQ on the board.
You were one of only three seniors on this year’s team and the only one of the three who competed at state. In what ways did you try to be a leader for the team this season?
I try to lead by example by working hard, staying positive and encouraging everyone. I also know how challenging swimming can be so trying to keep it fun while also working hard is important.
The CIML Conference placed four teams in the top 10, led by Dowling Catholic–which won its second straight title. Did the team race finish the way you expected?
Dowling has been really strong all year and has a lot of fast swimmers so its win wasn’t a surprise to me. It wasn’t a shock that the CIML placed four teams in the top 10 because it has always been pretty dominant. I was pleased with our team’s performance because we are a pretty young team, and everyone stepped up.
Plans for next year? Will you be swimming in college?
I will not by swimming, but I am planning to attend the University of Iowa to study business.
What will you miss the most about being on the swim team?
I will definitely miss all the girls and the friendships that I have made. It’s hard because these are some of my best friends, and I have been swimming with some of them for many years. I also love competing so it will be sad not to be racing anymore.
What lessons have you learned from swimming all of these years?
I’ve learned to have a strong work ethic. It is a huge time commitment so I really had to learn to prioritize the right things. It’s also taught me discipline, mental toughness and how to be a team player.