Despite being one of Drexel’s most accomplished swimmers, negative thoughts seem to creep into Lauren Faykes’ mind as she climbs onto the starting block seconds before a race.
“I tend to not be the most confident swimmer in the world,” the senior co-captain says. “My nerves definitely get the best of me before a big race. Even the week before a big meet, I’m usually a mess. I know my turns are not the strongest part of my races, so before I dive in I try to focus on my turns, and I try to remember the things we’ve gone over in practice.”
Whatever her pre-race approach, it seems to be working. In December she was named the Colonial Athletic Association’s Co-Swimmer of the Week after a time trial at the AT&T Winter National Championships, where she broke a 22-year-old school record with a time of 2:05.6 in the 200 IM. She also posted a new season best in the 100 butterfly time trial, finishing at 57.19.
It was the latest positive result for a swimmer who readily admits that the mental part of the sport is not her forte. The daughter of a father who swam competitively in college, Faykes was introduced to the pool around the age of 5. But she didn’t take to the water immediately.
“To be honest I actually did not like swimming at the beginning,” she says. “I was the one girl who had to be carried up to the block by her mom because I would never get in the water. But after a while this one coach that I had when I was in my summer club, I just related to her very well. She was very patient with me. She made swimming fun.”
Although her view of the sport was changing, success in the pool came gradually.
“I came from a really competitive club team where I was just middle of the crowd,” she says. “I didn’t really stand out. I was doing well, I kept improving throughout high school, but I didn’t start getting my confidence until I got to Drexel. I don’t think I started turning into the swimmer that I am now until my sophomore year.”
Faykes is notoriously tough on herself, so it’s not surprising that her head coach, Shawn Markey, views her in a different light. He first saw the Cherry Hill, N.J. native swim at a junior national meet in Florida.
“My first impression was she was an elite swimmer,” he says. “It was mostly her focus, her attitude. She’s very driven, and that’s what I look for in a future swimmer at Drexel.”
Faykes’ performance quickly catapulted her into a role as a team leader. Last year she placed first on the team in the 200 fly and the 200 freestyle at the CAA Championships, setting new school records in both events. Her 100 free at the CAAs was the second-fastest time on the team and the fourth-fastest in school history.
But speed alone does not make a leader, and it’s Faykes’ tireless work ethic that most impresses her coaches and teammates.
“I usually practice with Lauren, I try to keep up with her,” sophomore Gizem Yali says. “She’s the one who keeps me going when I fall behind. She just motivates you.”
Faykes has made a point of organizing more group activities, like outings to the movies, in hopes of bringing the team together. Swimming is an individual sport, but a tight-knit team makes for more motivated swimmers in practice.
“She has such a great attitude in practice,” Markey says. “She comes in and she consistently is driven and works hard every single day. You don’t see that from a lot of people. It’s hard to maintain that momentum, especially in swimming. It’s monotonous, it’s a lot of yardage, but Lauren is always pushing herself, she’s always racing. If someone is next to Lauren, it’s always a race.”
After the CAA Championships conclude in March, Faykes’ competitive swimming career will be over. A lifetime of early-morning practices and late-night jitters before a meet won’t be missed, but the camaraderie of working with teammates and coaches will.
“It’s bittersweet,” she says. “I’ve been swimming for a very, very long time. There were times when I was so bitter against the sport because you have to give up so much. Your friends don’t understand why you can’t go out on weekends. There was a lot of back and forth, like and dislike with the sport. I’m ready mentally and emotionally to be done, but at the same time it’s been the biggest part of my life. It will definitely be weird and a little difficult, but I think I’m ready.”
Last year, Faykes was named the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Women’s Swimming and Diving Performer of the Year, and she earned the CAA Scholar-Athlete Award for women’s swimming and diving. A design and merchandising major, she hopes to get into digital merchandising when she graduates.
Markey has seen his star swimmer’s form, focus and results improve through the years, and he is confident she’ll be successful in anything she puts her mind to.
“She’s very modest when it comes to her swimming,” he says. “Lauren’s been probably our top point scorer in the past four years. She’s got four individual records, three relay records. She’s our most decorated swimmer. I just appreciate what she’s given to the program. As a coach you just couldn’t ask for more.”