For Courtney Deveny, junior business major, swimming is a sport of focus. Her focus and determination have led her to appearances in the NCAA Championship, as well as top finishes in the SSC Championships.
As a sophomore, Deveny and her teammates took 13th overall in the 200 yard medley relay at the NCAA Championship with a time of 1:44.12. She was also named All-SSC First Team for the 2015-2016 season.
Deveny hopes to use her degree to become a wedding planner after college.
She went on to explain her passion for swimming.
How did you get involved in swimming?
“I started when I was four years old, and I’ve been swimming ever since. I got started because I loved the water, and I couldn’t really do any sport on land.”
Did anyone else in your family swim competitively?
“My dad was a swimmer, but no one else swam competitively like I did.”
How did you end up at NSU?
“I came here because one of my other teammates, Blake, swam here, and he told me about the program here. I didn’t even know NSU existed until he talked about it. About a week later, the coach contacted me and spoke to me about coming here, and once I visited, I just decided that I had to come here.”
What is your favorite aspect of swimming for NSU?
“I love the team. I love the class that I came in with. I think we’ve all gotten close over the past couple of years. I love the team, and I always knew I wanted to swim in college.”
What is the hardest aspect of swimming?
“Probably the mental aspect of it. Swimming is time consuming, but I wouldn’t want to do anything else.”
Are there any athletes that you look up to?
“I’ve always looked up to Natalie Coughlin and Missy Franklin, because she’s a great backstroker, and I swim backstroke as well. I’ve looked up to them in the past, but I also had a private coach when I was younger that taught me everything I know. I definitely look up to her, and I still go to her for advice.”
Do you have any rituals you perform before racing?
“I listen to music for sure. A ritual I had freshman year was having no expectations for how I’d do. I would just go and whatever happened, happened. I never wanted to put unnecessary pressure on myself.”
Do you plan to continue swimming after college?
“I don’t think so. It’s been 14 years since I started, so I think I’ll be done after college.”
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
“I love to shop. I love hanging out with friends, but if I’m not swimming, I’m usually sleeping.”
