Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
GOLD STANDARD
Downingtown East’s Alexa Fulton is named Daily Local News Girls Swimmer of the Year once again
When Downingtown East junior Alexa Fulton, the 2022 Daily Local News Girls Swimmer of the Year, found out she had been named Girls Swimmer of the Meet at the PIAA 3A Swimming & Diving Championships in March, her first thought was one of gratitude.
“Being named Girls Swimmer of the Meet at States is such a big honor - when I first found out I had been chosen, I just felt so grateful and excited,” said Fulton. “There were a lot of really great swimmers who swam fast times. I had one of the best meets of my career so far at States last year, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to top it.”
Last year at the PIAA 3A state championships, Fulton won gold medals in the girls 50 free and 100 free, and was named Girls Swimmer of the Meet. She was also named the 2021 Daily Local News Girls Swimmer of the Year. This year at States, Fulton finished first in the girls 50 free with a PIAA record time of 22.66, then the following day won the gold medal in the girls 100 free with a personal-best clocking of 49.04.
“I’ve been working with Alexa since she was about 8 years old, and, quietly, she’s very intense and ultra-competitive but you would never know that by her outward demeanor,” said former Downingtown West swim coach Eric Snook, who was Fulton’s first swim coach as a youth at Whitford Country Club. “She has the awesome ability to take what coaches are explaining and translate it into the pool.”
Downingtown East girls swim coach Sean Wyatt said, “Alexa’s dedication to the sport and the work she puts into it is by far her biggest strength. She is always striving to improve in all aspects and her mental toughness will continue to fuel her to be the best that she can be. She has shown that hard work and attention to details goes a long way.”
At States, Fulton also was the leader on the Cougars’ girls’ 200 medley relay and girls 200 free relay squads that finished 11th. At Districts, where she was named Girls Swimmer of the Meet, Fulton topped her own record in the girls 50 free.
“The 50 is my favorite event,” said Fulton. “I love just getting up on the blocks and racing. The 50 is such a short race, the key to my performance is just being able to turn my brain off and swim as fast as I possibly can. I was so happy to have my teammates there at States cheering me on.”
Fulton won the gold medal in the girls 100 free at States with a personal-best clocking of 49.04, and Wyatt noted that after the second turn, she was swimming in open water.
“I sometimes have had trouble with getting in my head when swimming the
100,” said Fulton. “At States, I was just focused on racing and having confidence in myself. Sean told me if I got out ahead at the start he was confident nobody would catch me, so that’s what I did.”
Fulton said her favorite memory at Districts was not the 50 free or the 100 free, but swimming the girls 200 medley relay.
“My teammates and I all swam really well and we felt pretty confident our time would qualify for States,” said Fulton. “It meant a lot to have my teammates and long-time Whitford friends coming to Bucknell with me.”
Fulton, who has verbally committed to swimming for the University of Texas, also is in the running for the Academic All American award for students who perform well in their state tournament and hold a 3.6 or higher GPA.
“When visiting Texas, I just felt a really strong connection to the girls on the team,” said Fulton. “I could feel myself fitting in there and being really happy. I am still trying to figure out what I want to major in [at Texas], but right now I am leaning towards something in the technological field.”
One of Fulton’s career goals was to qualify for the Olympic Trials, a goal she achieved last summer.
“I am so grateful to have so many great coaches influence my abilities to be successful including [club coach] Jamie Krull, Sean Wyatt, Gigi Graesser, [Upper Main Line YMCA coach] Todd Conrad and Eric Snook,” said Fulton.
As a youngster, Fulton got a relatively late start in competitive swimming, but she proved to be a quick learner.
“I didn’t start competitive swimming until much later than a lot of my friends,” said Fulton. “My first winter season, I was 9 years old, and nowhere near the level of competitiveness I am now. Starting out, I was never the fastest swimmer, but I didn’t care, I just loved spending time with my friends and getting the chance to be in the water. As I’ve gotten older, my mindset towards swimming has become more serious, but that initial love for the sport never went away.”
Fulton’s favorite swimming venue is the Greensboro Aquatics Center in Greenboro, N.C., where YMCA nationals are hosted every year. It holds some fond memories for her.
“The first time I swam in Greensboro, I was 12 and swam as a relay alternate,” said Fulton. “This was my first experience of higher level competition and I would say that meet was a pivotal one in my swimming career. I remember having so much fun with my teammates and coaches, I made it my goal to qualify individually that upcoming spring, and the only way to do that was to stay focused and work hard in practice.
“I ended up just qualifying for the meet. Having the opportunity to travel down to North Carolina again, knowing that I had earned my spot, was such a rewarding experience. A few years later, I was lucky enough to go to the meet again with one of my best friends. Swimming at such a big competition is fun, but getting to share that experience with her was even better.
“One of my favorite moments was sitting in the parking lot of the facility with my team as the sun set before the last night of the finals. With so much swimming going on, many of the best moments are the small ones I got to spend with my friends.”
At the YMCA Short Course Nationals at Greensboro March 28-April 1, Fulton finished second in the girls 50 free (22.47), third in the girls 100 free (49.12), fourth in the girls 200 free (1:47.29) and fifth in the girls 100 fly (54.04).