Q&A with Jessica Lewis
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Fourth-year Jessica Lewis enters her final campaign swimming for the Cavaliers already with a long list of achievements. She was a member of the 800 freestyle relay team that earned Honorable Mention All-America honors at the NCAA Championships last year. She claimed the Atlantic Coast Conference title in the 200 free last March and is a three-time all-conference selection. This year, she had a title to add to her resum: team captain. The Allentown, Pa., native is poised to help lead a relatively young Cavalier team.
How would you describe your role as a captain?
Lewis: Being captain is a big responsibility, especially because we have 11 first-years. So there’s a big portion of our team that is comprised of underclassmen who need a person to follow and a role-model. So I love being there for them, showing them the way, and showing them the UVa tradition and how we train.
What are your thoughts on how the team did two weeks ago at the Georgia Invitational?
Lewis: The Georgia meet was a great meet for us to go out there and race, especially at a three-day meet where we can practice swimming that many events and being tired. We had a lot of girls who swam their best times and a lot of girls who were close to qualifying for NCAAs, or did qualify for NCAAs. So we’re way ahead of where we thought we were before that meet. Georgia was good competition; they were number one in the country for the women’s team last year and competing against them was something that we wanted to be able to handle. So it was really good to go out there and put forth our best effort.
What did it mean to you to be named an honorable mention All-American last year?
Lewis: Going to NCAAs last year and being honorable mention was a really great experience. I feel like being able to compete at such a high level enables me to gain the respect of the underclassmen, my peers and other members of this team.
What is your major and do you have any post-graduation plans?
Lewis: Economics. I want to go into business, but I’m not exactly sure yet. Swimming is pretty much consuming all of my time, so the job search will begin soon thereafter.
What is the most embarrassing song on your iPod?
Lewis: Something by Ace of Base.
Who or what inspires you?
Lewis:My team. Just their presence inspires me to swim. Outside of the pool, my parents inspire me.
If there was a Virginia swimming edition of Survivor, who would win and why?
Lewis: I would win!