BY YANEEK SMITH

In high school, Elayna Krupp made her presence felt as a freshman and led Oak Harbor to new heights throughout her swimming career while competing for the Rockets.

Now she’s doing the same at Bowling Green.

The Oak Harbor alum recently completed her freshman year for the Falcons, becoming one of the best swimmers on the team and helping two relay teams set school records.

She also stood out in individual events, particularly the 50 freestyle and the 100 free.

As a team, Bowling Green finished 3-4 in dual meets and was sixth at the Mid-American Conference Tournament.

Krupp joined Daisy Platts, Taylor Harris and Anna Eriksson in breaking the school’s 400 meter medley relay time twice in the same week, setting a new mark of 3 minutes, 40.19 seconds after the previous one lasted for eight years. The quartet also broke the school record in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:39.26, breaking a record that stood for six years. Both relays placed fourth at the Mid-American Conference Tournament. Krupp also finished in 23.35 in the prelims in the 50 free, good for ninth in school history.

Krupp competed in a total of seven events at the tournament — the 200 free relay, the 400 free relay, the 200 medley relay, the 400 medley relay, the 50 free, the 100 free and the 100 butterfly.

“I was not expecting to accomplish as much as I did. Going from three sports (in high school) to one, I guess I should’ve expected a lot of improvement,” Krupp said. “I was very surprised, but I feel very accomplished.”

Krupp is hoping for great things in the future with her fellow Falcons. The team will be losing Platts, one of the most decorated swimmers in school history.

“I just want to keep working hard,” said Krupp. “We have a lot of good girls coming in, especially with the relays. Losing Daisy will be tough, but I’m sure we’ll be able to step it up with the other girls.”

Division I athletics requires incredible commitment. Morning and afternoon swims run for two hours apiece, and lifting weights is done three times per week, not to mention the time required for class and studying.

“At first, it was something to get used to, but I think I do well under pressure,” Krupp said. “Having a busy schedule helped keep everything in order. It was definitely difficult.”

Krupp, who excelled at soccer and track in high school in addition to swimming, is majoring in communication sciences and disorders and wants to attend graduate school to become a speech pathologist.

Krupp and 11 teammates competed a few weeks ago at the National Invitational Championships. It was one of the highlights for Krupp, who competed in five events at the meet, which took place in Elkhart, Indiana.

“Going to the national invite this year, it was a select few that made the cuts, and that was exciting to be able to make such a big meet with high-level swimmers,” she said.

We’ll see what the future holds for her.