Megan Clark is a former swimming star at Northeastern University, where she found tremendous success. She holds six team records and was the only person in program history to qualify for NCAAs three years in a row. She is an eight-time CAA champion and 11-time All-CAA honoree. She's also had the opportunity to intern at New Balance and the Boston Red Socks during her time at Northeastern, a perk of going to a school with a unique co-op program. Clark shares some insight on the most important aspects of team culture, and what to look out for during the recruiting process.
1. What was the best piece of advice that your coach gave you or your team?
Roy [Coates] would always tell us “Don't embarrass the family” which is a nice way of saying “Don't do anything that would make the swim team look bad.” This was always a good reminder that when you are a part of a team, you are a reflection of the team as a whole.
2. What are some of the critical things that swimming recruits should consider when contacting a college coach?
A big thing is making sure that you get the information correct before you email the coach. Coming from Northeastern, where we only have a women's [swim] team, some male swimmers would email my coach asking to come on a recruiting trip. This just shows that you aren't really looking into the school. I think people should learn more about the school and try to decide where you would actually want to swim before you decide to email coaches just for a safety school.
3. Why did you choose Northeastern?
I chose Northeastern mainly because of the “co-op program” which is what Northeastern does to help its students get a good start in their career path. Everyone does 6-month internships which is super unique to other colleges. I also loved that it was in a city (Boston) and once I met the team, I was pretty sold on it. The girls are great and the coaches are really kind and care about their student-athletes.
4. If you could go back in time and change one thing about your recruiting process, what would that be?
Go in person to campuses. Seeing colleges in person changes everything because every college can make anything seem appealing on the internet. To really see it with my own eyes impacted a lot of choices that I made. I wish that I had done that more.
5. When recruits go on official visits, what are some red flags they should look for?
I think a big thing is just seeing how the team functions. Try to pick up on any tensions within the team and see where the team priorities are, in terms of training, school, and partying. Just ask the real questions: are they happy there? If they could change anything, what would it be? Try to get the honest answers out of the team.
6. When would you recommend for a swimming recruit to bring up scholarships with a coach?
I think you should bring up scholarships when you are on a recruiting visit. You want to make sure that the school is taking you just as seriously as you are taking them. Usually, that conversation will come up in person with the coach. Just make sure to talk with your parents beforehand to figure out what your price limits are.
7. What is Northeastern's swimming team culture like?
Honestly, we are a bunch of nerds. My teammates have extremely hard majors and we are constantly in study hall together. Our team bonding is doing homework together. It shows because we have one of the highest team GPAs in the nation. It's honestly a better way to get to know your teammates because we will take coffee breaks together and really get to talk to each other.
8. What was your biggest challenge when it came to competing at the college level?
I would say the nerves. It's very nerve-racking going into a race knowing that whatever you do is going to affect the team as well. Sometimes it will be neck and neck at a dual meet and it could come down to the 400 freestyle relay, which is a very difficult and stressful relay. Knowing that your race alone could decide whether your team wins or loses is something that was hard to get used to.
Image Credit: Northeastern Athletics
