Whitney Leach enters her Freshman year at Westside fresh off of a hot summer. She won high points during club season and went to the Central Zone Championship, which includes swimmers from 12 states. Just to qualify for that meet, you need to post a time in the top 5% for your event nationally. 

Leach has already broken 5:20 in the 500-yard freestyle, and her 5:20.41 posted December 20th in Lincoln is the 7th best time recorded in the state this season. It is also the best time posted by a freshman.

Being younger than most of the swimmers she competes against, doesn’t intimidate her one bit. 

“I just have to tell myself to trust my training,” Leach said. “Even though I’m younger, it doesn’t really mean anything. I work just as hard and I have just as much experience as them.”

Even with that strong mindset, Leach admits she can’t completely ignore the pressure of “being a lot younger than everyone and feeling like you have a lot to live up to.” 

Senior teammate Elizabeth Bender noticed Leach’s talent immediately. 

“The first time I realized, ‘Wow, this girl is good’ was when I was at the Burke invite waiting for my relay, and I looked over and saw this girl in a Westside suit, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, a freshman just won the five!’”

Bender thinks Leach will only get better in the years to come. 

“We have a really good program for taking people who have that kind of natural talent, but also are really hard workers, and just combining that,” Bender said. “I see her doing phenomenal as she goes through it.”

You can tell Leach is already feeling it.  

“The coaches just care a lot and always know what to say and what to do,” Leach said. “My teammates are just always there for me.” 

While Leach has been leaving her mark in pool after pool, her high school career has only just begun. She has big goals in mind, both for herself and Westside Swimming. 

“I hope to become more of a leader for the team and I also hope to break a school record,” Leach said.

According to Bender, she’s already leading.

“She’s very funny, and you can always talk to her if you’ve had a bad race or something,” Bender said. “She’s an awesome teammate and she inspires other people to work hard.”

For other young swimmers who hope to one day be where she is now, Leach tells them to “just work hard because it’ll seem difficult while you’re doing it, but it’ll always pay off.”

Success only makes Leach continue to work harder. 

“She’s super fast, but she’s super humble,” Bender notes. “You would never expect that.”