By JEFF HELMINIAK
Peninsula Clarion
Kenai Central senior Owen Rolph has become the fourth Kenai Peninsula swimmer in the past year to commit to a Division I program.
Last week, Rolph verbally committed to Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.
Also committing to Division I swim programs are Kenai Central senior Sorin Sorensen and Long Island University, Homer senior Madison Story and the University of Utah, and Seward junior Lydia Jacoby and the University of Texas.
“Most swimmers in my age group are pretty close,” Rolph said. “We all grew up racing from a young age. We’re all pretty driven and have the same goals in mind.”
Rolph said the wave of swimmers going Division I extends off the peninsula to Anchorage.
For a long time, Rolph was not sure if he would be one of those swimmers.
A student who has earned straight A’s and has an interest in medicine, Rolph targeted Old Dominion as a junior. Rolph loved the beautiful campus, pre-med program and science department, and swim team.
Old Dominion did not reciprocate the interest at first, forcing Rolph to look at other options.
“All of a sudden the coaches wanted to talk to me about being on the team,” Rolph said. “This is my dream school.”
Rolph knows he is in for a challenge academically as well as athletically. Doing pre-medicine while putting in the training to compete at the Division I level is tough.
“I talked to coach about it, and he said there are plenty of other swimmers in the same boat as me,” Rolph said. “That gives me confidence, but I know it’s going to be hard.”
Rolph said his swim times are about right in the middle with other Old Dominion swimmers, but Rolph said he is nowhere near his potential as a swimmer yet. He said that potential should come out competing against Division I swimmers and learning from Division I coaches.
“It’s just a feeling I have,” he said.
Rolph thanked his parents, Lisa and Zachary Rolph, and all his coaches, particularly Winter Heaven and Will Hubler, for helping to achieve his goal.
As a senior at Kenai Central in 2010, Heaven won state titles in the 200-yard freestyle and 100 butterfly. He then went on to swim for the University of Utah before returning to be the head coach for the Kardinals from 2017 to 2019.
“When I was 6 I swam with him when he was that high school senior going off to college,” Rolph said. “I always looked at that record board and wanted to go to college like Winter.
“All of a sudden, he was my coach. It was awesome to have my hero as my coach.”
As a freshman, Rolph teamed with some seniors to break five relay records. He made it to state every year as an individual, with his third place in the 100 butterfly this season standing as his best finish. As a junior, Rolph also helped the Kenai boys win the region title — the first time a Kenai swim team won regions in school history.
Rolph said he missed Heaven this year, but said Hubler’s long experience at Kenai Central was very helpful in pulling off a good season despite all the COVID-19 mitigation measures in place.
“It was really awkward to laugh and bond when we were all spaced out in the pool, but we got the hang of it,” Rolph said. “We made it work. I was surprised a lot of us did really well at state and got personal bests.”
Rolph said he was just able to get back in the Kenai pool, but he has kept in shape by going to the gym and swimming at the Nikiski Pool.
Editor’s Note: This article corrects an error in the original article about the state in which Old Dominion is located.
Kenai’s Owen Rolph races in the boys 100-yard butterfly Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019, at the Northern Lights Conference swimming and diving championships at Kenai Central High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)
