Women’s Swimming: Erin Nabney Has Made Quite the Splash from Across the Pond

By: Brian DeAlmeida

Trying to make a splash in your freshman year is never easy.

Not only do you have to cope with a brand new environment but you get thrown into a new world of academics and for some even a whole new level of athletics.

For freshman Erin Nabney, she knows exactly how that feels. Growing up across the pond in Pinner, United Kingdom, she has always had a knack for swimming. In 2013, long before BU was even a thought in her mind, she competed in the European Junior Championship for Great Britain and placed 7th in the 200 IM.

So then why travel across the Atlantic to come to a place like Boston University when she’s such a sought after recruit?

Well Nabney said the decision was quite simple.

“When I came on a recruiting trip to BU, I realized it was where I was suppose to be, as cliche as that sounds. I fell in love with the school and the team and it was somewhere I wanted to be for the next four years.”

Nabney wasted very little time acclimating herself to her new found home as well the pool at the Boston University Aquatics Center. In her first four dual meets of her career, she did exactly what you would expect a freshman in a new world do to, win every single race she competed in. So what lead to the success?

“Well I swim in meters so I don’t know what times are good in yards or what to expect so I just went in and raced.”

In the Terrier Invitational on the weekend before Thanksgiving, she finished first in the 200 breaststroke on Sunday, narrowly missing the BU school record. She also was near milliseconds away from breaking the 100 breast record as well.

But even a star studded freshman, there is always some rough patches. Being over 3,000 miles away from home is never an easy task, especially as a 18 year old freshman in college. Yet even when she’s thousands of miles away from home she still has a solid support staff behind her.

“It has been everything to me (my teammates),” said Nabney. “I honestly couldn’t imagine how I would cope without my whole team behind me and my coaches, Bill and Jen…I always feel like somebody is there for me which makes everything so much easier.”

So what does the future hold for the newest star of the women’s swim team? Well her expectations are quite modest.

“Over my next four years I want to continue to enjoy the sport and progressing as far as I can go…This meet (Terrier Invitational) I have been close to a few school records and I think it would be great to strive for them time-wise.”

Very rarely does a freshman come onto the scene and become such an important part of a team, especially when it has so many great senior leaders. But I guess Erin Nabney never got the memo because in only a few short months in Boston, she has already made her presence very well known to all those that come watch the Terriers swim.

She may be 3,000 miles away from home, but it seems as though Boston University has become her newest home away from home.

The whole interview with Erin can be heard above.