Norah Rutkowski ’28 is a first-year athlete on the women’s No. 9-ranked swim team. Rutkowski is from St. Louis, MO, and graduated from Parkway West High School in the spring of 2024. The Centennial Conference Athlete of the Week swims butterfly, breaststroke, and IM. Her dominance was on full display at a conference meet against Franklin & Marshall College on Feb. 1, where she won the 50 butterfly (26.52 seconds) and 100 butterfly (58.96 seconds) events. An astonishing feat, Rutkowski was the only under-60-second finisher of the 100 butterfly race. The swimmer was also part of the first-place 200 medley relay team that contributed to the 170-92 blowout against Johns Hopkins University on Jan. 18. The undefeated Garnet holds a perfect 10-0 record and a 7-0 conference record. They head to the Centennial Championship in Lancaster, PA on Feb. 20.
Aimee Lee: As a first-year student-athlete, what are some new notable memories or experiences you’ve had in college?
Norah Rutkowski: Cheering for each other at swim meets makes them a lot of fun. People on the team generally know what other people’s goals are, and the support we have for each other makes the meets really special. As far as specific events, our training trip to Puerto Rico was a big highlight. It was a great opportunity to bond with my teammates, especially the first-year class.
AL: Athletics, academics, and a social life can be difficult to juggle. How do you manage your day-to-day schedule?
NR: I definitely have to think ahead each week about what my academic and athletic commitments will look like. Sometimes, I think having practice actually helps to add more structure to my day and ensure I generally stay productive. I also try to use a planner to budget my time.
AL: How did you feel about the F&M meet and the Swat invite this past week?
NR: The F&M meet wasn’t my best of the season, but I had a tough meet the week before, so it was a nice improvement from that. It was also good to race at the pool where [Centennial Championships] will be held, and to be able to visualize what my races will be like there.
AL: What goes through your mind before, during, and after you race?
NR: Before a race, I try to remind myself of my race strategy and how I will pace myself, but I try not to overthink. I remind myself that the work has already been done and there’s not much I can do to prepare immediately before a race. During a race, I try to execute my race strategy and focus on myself, not the people around me. Afterward, before I look at my time, I ask myself if I gave it my best effort. I used to struggle a lot with taking my times very seriously after every race, and while I’m still not perfect, I’ve gotten better at realizing that my best effort looks different each day.
AL: The swim team is riding off of a 3-peat success in the Centennial Conference. What are some team or personal goals for the 24-25 season?
NR: As a team, we’re striving to win conference championships again on both the men’s and women’s sides. Personally, I really want to make Nationals, but because of how the qualifying works, some of that is out of my control. Ultimately, I’d like to contribute the best I can to my team and put together what I’ve been working on all season, ideally going personal bests.
AL: Who is someone that you look up to when it comes to swimming?
NR: I’m not sure I have a definite single person when it comes to swimming. I generally look up to a lot of the Olympians whose immense hard work and talent have earned them a lot of success. However, I used to do gymnastics, and I really look up to Simone Biles, who is a great model of someone who faced adversity and overcame it. I think her story is inspiring even for swimming.
AL: Why did you choose Swarthmore College? What is your area of study?
I chose Swarthmore because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study, and I wanted to have some flexibility in being able to explore different areas. Right now, I’m most interested in math, environmental studies, biology, and french. On the swimming side, I wanted to join a D3 program where I would have a better opportunity to contribute and hopefully make it to Nationals at some point. I also play the viola, and I wanted to go somewhere where I could still continue doing orchestra and lessons alongside swimming.
AL: What is your favorite class that you’ve taken at Swarthmore?
NR: I liked my Psychology and Sustainability first-year seminar with Professor Tyler Jacobs a lot last semester. It made me realize that much of solving sustainability issues is dependent on changing people’s outlooks and behaviors.
AL: What advice would you give to incoming students and/or varsity athletes at Swarthmore?
NR: With this season almost being over, I realized how quickly it goes by and how the seniors will be leaving even though it seems like I just met them. Being a part of a team is so special because of the friendships you make, so I would advise to be present and cherish the time you can spend with your teammates.
AL: Any movie or TV recommendations?
NR: “The Emperor’s New Groove” is very underrated!
