University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Broido and Troncoso: Asheville's First Four-Year Swimmers
01.28.2016 | Women's Swimming & Diving
UNC Asheville's first four-year women's swimming class, seniors Galen Broido and Alessandra Troncoso, step up to the blocks this Saturday for the Bulldogs' Senior Day meet against North Carolina A&T at 4 p.m. in the Justice Center Pool.
“I think every Senior Day is emotional and this one will just have a pretty special place in my heart,” said head swimming coach Elizabeth Lykins. “They are the original two who have started and have now completed four years.”
As the first swimmers to compete for four years, Broido and Troncoso competed in the 2013 CCSA Championships, bringing home medals and personal bests. Troncoso achieved a lifetime best in the 100-meter breaststroke earning 5th place and then 7th place in the 200-meter breaststroke. A fellow team captain, Broido became the first Bulldog to earn a spot at the podium by taking 2nd place in the mile and 12th place in the individual medley.
“I wasn't really nervous just because I didn't really have any expectations. I was just going to go and have fun and see where it went.” Broido said about the meet.“ It ended up being a stellar meet and everyone had fun. Everyone had an incredible meet.”
Not only did these two swimmers set school records, but they also set the standards for future Bulldog swimmers. Although setting standards came fairly easy for them, creating culture and traditions for this new team was a challenge.
“I think the hardest part about starting a new team was that you had to create culture, it's not already there,” Broido said. “You have to come up with team traditions, team cheers, and events that you do every year.”
Whether it's a team dinner and a movie, a team retreat, Secret Santa, or painting their nails blue together before a big meet, both captains have spent their last four years creating traditions that will be continued long after they leave.
“My goal starting this program was to create a culture that produces incredible citizens for the university,” Lykins said. “Whether it's a life lesson, how to be a better teammate, accepting a failure, or learning from an experience, those are all life lessons that everyone needs to learn, and I get the joy of teaching them through athletics.”
Troncoso said she tries to embody the department's expression “Champions in Athletics, Leaders in Life” by participating in other extracurricular activities such as the Senior Class Board and the International Honor Society for Psychology, which helped shape her into a well-rounded student-athlete.
“The legacy that I would like to see Alessandra and I leave would just be to set a standard of not just being someone that scores points for the team and doesn't contribute anything else to the team,” Broido said.
Like other sports teams on campus, the swimming team also participates in community service. Due to class conflicts, most swimmers either volunteer in small groups with their teammates or individually instead of as an entire team.
“I don't just want to be known as ATron the swimmer, I want to be known as the community service leader,” Troncosso said. “I want to lead by example, that's how I practice and how I swim,”
Though swimming is predominantly an individual sport, you can find Broido and Troncoso setting the team's pace at the beginning of a meet with their composure and passion or cheering on their teammates from the side of the pool as they compete in individual events.
“Both of us have found success in this program because we invested in our teammates,” Broido said. “Investing in your teammates, in my opinion, is the best way to become successful.”
Troncoso and Broido each said they have made life-long friends swimming at UNC Asheville, and would continue to attend practice even after their senior season ends.
Following Saturday's festivities, the senior's final meet will be at the CCSA Championships February 17-20 in Athens, Georgia on the campus of the University of Georgia.
