Cotter Welch is a four-time Big East Championship qualifier. Photo by Drew Kosmak.

JAMIE HEALY | STAFF REPORTER | jdhealy1@butler.edu 

Cotter Welch has received plenty of accolades over her distinguished career. The fifth-year swimmer is a four-time Big East Championship qualifier, three-time member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and team co-captain each of the last three years. 

However, it is the behind-the-scenes leadership and resolve that make Welch’s time at Butler special. 

After swimming competitively for club teams since she was 10 years old, Welch has always loved the sport. When looking for high schools to attend, a top-tier swim program was a major factor. 

“I chose my high school based on academics but also their swim program,” Welch said. “I was able to swim for a very prestigious program in Michigan, and then I made the decision to try and swim in college.” 

During Welch’s time at Mercy High School, she was a team captain and helped her squad capture three Michigan state championships during her four years. 

After looking at different programs and deciding to attend Butler, Welch instantly found success, making the Big East Championship cut in her first year. 

Following two more consecutive seasons in which she was a finalist at the Big East Championships, Welch began to deal with severe injuries. 

“After my junior year, I went through ankle and wrist surgeries and worked all summer to rehab,” Welch said. “I was really focused on coming back and swimming my senior season.” 

Unfortunately for Welch, those aspirations were undone by a torn labrum in practice, less than a week before the season began.

In addition to the physical pain, Welch recalls the emotional strain on her body. 

“[Rehabilitation] was the most difficult thing I have ever had to go through,” Welch said. “I was exhausted all the time, and I was fully reliant on other people to help me.” 

While dealing with the rehabilitation process, Welch began exploring the possibility of returning for a fifth season. 

Head coach Maurice Stewart was one of the coaches Welch met with to discuss whether she could come back for a full season following the injury before her senior year. 

“The decision itself was very easy,” Stewart said. “To have someone of Cotter’s leadership and work ethic, [along with] the way she helps her teammates, is invaluable.” 

Coaches were not the only ones to recognize the power of leadership that Welch possessed, even when she herself could not compete. 

Senior swimmer Olivia Stotts remembered how vulnerable Welch was during the recovery process and what it meant to the team. 

“It is nothing short of inspiring what Cotter persevered through,” Stotts said. “She gave a good example of leaning on her teammates and how important that is.” 

Additionally, Stotts believed that Welch’s optimism through the process made a major impact on the team as a whole. 

“[Recovery] is a very mentally and physically hard thing,” Stotts said. “Seeing somebody that you admire [who] leads with positivity, honesty and openness about what she is going through and how difficult it is, but still looking through it with a glass-half-full mindset is a great example to lead our team.”

Once Welch was able to return to the pool this season, she had her eyes set on returning to the Big East Championships in the 100-meter backstroke. 

After initially falling short of the time needed to qualify by a tenth of a second, Welch made the most of another chance in a dual meet against the University of Indianapolis on Jan 17.

It was a moment Welch believes is the highlight of her career. 

“The whole team was on the sideline supporting and cheering me on,” Welch said. “It was so special. Even after my swim, to have people cheering and hugging me is something I will cherish the rest of my life.” 

Welch’s performance at the meet earned her Swimmer of the Meet honors from her coaches, who praised her determination. Teammates also look at Welch’s story as inspiration to never give up, even when times are difficult.

Stotts attributes much of the current team culture to Welch’s role in cultivating an all-in attitude — not merely looking for individual accomplishments, but team achievements as well. 

“The idea of putting the team first has forced me to do the same thing where I am there to get better, but I am also at practice and around my teammates to make them get better,” Stotts said. “Pushing my teammates and supporting them has made our team a million times better.” 

Welch’s leadership and courage have made a major impact on the team as a whole this season. For the first time, every single member of the team has qualified for the Big East Championships. 

When looking back on her Butler career, Welch recalled her great individual swims but finds that being there to celebrate her team’s accomplishments is even better. 

“I was anchoring the relay at the House of Champs [meet], and I got to watch two teammates — a senior and a freshman, make their cuts next to each other,” Welch said. “It just reminds me of what swimming is all about: being there for one another, going out and racing, trying your best and having great memories with your teammates.” 

The accomplishments in her swimming career are numerous, but it is the impact of her resilience and leadership in and out of competition that is the true legacy Welch will leave on the program.  

“To be able to walk away from the team with people enjoying the sport and one another is so special,” Welch said. “It’s all I could ever ask for.”