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| Denison senior swimmer Hilary Callen |
Hometown/High School: Oswego, NY/ Oswego
Institution: Denison University
Major: Economics
Sport: Swimming
I am originally from ... Oswego, New York
Why did you choose to attend a NCAA Division III institution? I decided to attend an NCAA Division III school because I wanted to be a major contributor in my sport while still earning a college degree from a great institution.
How would you describe the philosophy of NCAA Div. III? I would describe the philosophy of NCAA Div. III to be the place where true student-athletes study and compete, both at a high and competitive level.
How has your experience been in balancing athletics and academics at Denison? My coach tells my team that in order to be a successful student-athlete you need to have an appropriate balance of three aspects of your college career; academics, athletics and your social life. If one of these isn’t balanced, then the others will more than likely be unbalanced as well. I have tried my best to stay in a routine throughout college in order to make sure my academics, sport and social life are all equally weighed.
How would you best describe your normal day as a student-athlete at the NCAA Div. III level? What do you do all day? My day is VERY routine. I have morning workout at 6 am four days a week. After practice I go to class for a majority of the morning and early afternoon. Following classes I usually take a nap ( I depend on them!) and then head to afternoon practice. Once practice is over, I eat dinner and do homework before I go to bed around 11:00pm…..then repeat Monday-Friday!
Favorite thing about Denison? How beautiful it is. I love walking to class and looking at all the trees and pretty buildings. Denison is on top of a hill and I love driving up the main road to get to campus because it is so beautiful.
Favorite thing about the NCAC? I really like how all the NCAC schools have a great sense of sportsmanship.
What do you want to be when you grow up? When I “grow up” I would really like to work in the health care industry, either in hospital administration or medical sales. Right now, I am leaning towards Orthopedic Sales. I’ve always had a great interest in orthopedics and I think this would be a good career path for me.
People may be surprised to know that …… I grew up on a horse farm!
Do you have any hidden talents that very few people know about? I taught myself how to whistle, and I’m actually pretty good at it.
What has been your most memorable moment in athletics during your collegiate career? Some people would think that my most memorable moment would be at NCAA's last year when my 800 free relay broke the National Record; however, my most memorable moment was NCAA's my sophomore year. The 800 free relay that I was on was not expected to win, but we did. I remember swimming the last 100 of that race and seeing my whole team and crowd standing and cheering for us. I will always remember that feeling.
Do you have one coach and/or professor that has impacted your career the most at Denison? My coach Gregg Parini has definitely impacted my career at Denison. To say that he is just my swim coach is such an understatement. He has taught me so many valuable lessons that I plan to carry on throughout my life after my college career is over. I am so thankful to have met and been coached by a man like, Gregg.
What are the toughest issues facing Div. III athletes today? I think trying to prove to other people and divisions higher than ours that Div. III athletics are very competitive!
If you could excel at any competitive sport (other than your own) which would you choose? I would really like to try to play volleyball.
Which historical sporting event would you have liked to witness? The 2008, men's 4X100 freestyle swimming relay in Beijing. I remember I missed watching the race on TV so I watched it the next day on the computer, and I cried! That race was so inspirational.
Any Pet Peeves? I hate the noise of squeaking styrofoam
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