Athlete of the Week and boys swim team captain Nate Weldon kicked off his senior swim season remarkably, winning three out of his four individual events. At his first meet on December 10, he secured first place in the 100-yard breaststroke, and in his second meet two days later, he won both the 200-yard medley and the 100-yard breaststroke.
One of these victories came during a meet against Jones and Payton (who compete as one team), where he pulled ahead in the final 10 yards of the competition to win the 100-yard breaststroke race and achieved a season-best time of 1:03.93.
This impressive performance reflects Nate’s passion for the sport, which blossomed when he lived in Turks and Caicos for five years from ages 4 to 9.
“I loved the water so much that my parents could never get me out of the pool,” Nate said. “That’s when I started to love swimming.”
After returning to Chicago, Nate joined the Latin swim team to carve his own path and achieve success.
With support from his teammates and coaches at Latin, Nate has thrived in the water. One of his most memorable performances was at Sectionals last year.
“I dropped over three-and-a-half seconds [from my best time], which felt great and showed me how my hard work paid off,” Nate said.
While Nate’s victories bring him joy, his losses drive him to improve as an athlete and work even harder.
After not racing as fast as he would have liked during Regionals this past summer, Nate experienced a moment of deja vu at the cool-down pool after his race.
“I was floating on my back, and I got taken back to a moment when I was 4 years old, floating in a pool, and this helped me realize how much I love swimming,” Nate said.
Nate plans to continue his swim career at Occidental College.
“It will be a bit more of a commitment,” he said, “but I love the sport, so I’m willing to put in the effort.”
