Sophia Amendola and Ashlyn Canale are part of five first-years on the roster. Photo by Drew Kosmak.
AIDEN CADDELL | STAFF REPORTER | acaddell@butler.edu
“Welcome to the Team” is a Q&A series where the Collegian sits down with first-year student-athletes who are entering their first season at Butler University. These articles will address why they chose Butler, what they hope to get out of this season and some personal tidbits that you won’t find anywhere else.
This week, staff reporter Aiden Caddell sat down with two first-years on the women’s swimming team: Sophia Amendola and Ashlyn Canale.
Sophia Amendola is a butterfly and backstroke swimmer from Elmhurst, Illinois. Photo by Drew Kosmak.
THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN: When and why did you start swimming?
SOPHIA AMENDOLA: I first started swimming when I was eight because my mom wanted me to know how to swim. Then I took the survival skill and took it to the extreme, and now that’s my sport and all I do.
TBC: What brought you to Butler?
SA: I really wanted a small school with a good communications and sports media program because I want to be a broadcaster or do something in sports. Butler was a school that I could swim at, was small and had a really good sports media program that would give me a lot of opportunities later on in life.
TBC: What has been different about swimming in college?
SA: I kind of like it more. I like it because in high school, I was out of my house from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day and that was terrible. I like [the fact that] I’m on my own schedule, and I can have time to come home and relax.
TBC: How have head coach Maurice Stewart and the rest of the coaching staff helped you grow as a swimmer?
SA: If [Coach Stewart] is on you about something at one practice, that doesn’t go away for the next practice. He still encourages you. He watches you working on it, and even after that practice is done, he still cares. You’ll come back the next day and he will be like, ‘Let’s keep working on this.’
TBC: Who is your favorite swimmer?
SA: I really like Emma Sticklen. She swam at the University of Texas [and] now coaches at University of Pennsylvania. I just really love her energy and how much fun she brings to the pool deck. You can just see her excitement on her face when she has a good swim, and she really is honest in herself when she swims. I really admire that about her.
TBC: What is your favorite event in swimming?
SA: The 200-meter backstroke.
TBC: What’s the best class you have taken at Butler?
SA: I really liked my journalism and news media class because that’s what I’m interested in. It was fun to bring media into things that I care about like swimming.
TBC: What’s your go-to pre-meet song?
SA: “Hot Wings,” [by will.i.am.]
Ashlyn Canale is a butterfly and breaststroke swimmer from Chesterfield, Missouri. Photo by Drew Kosmak.
TBC: When and why did you start swimming?
ASHLYN CANALE: I started getting in the water when I was five years old; my parents just wanted me to be familiar with the water. I probably tried almost every sport, but eventually just fell in love with swimming and have stuck with it.
TBC: What brought you to Butler?
AC: I wanted a direct nursing program, which Butler was offering [for the first time] this year. Just being able to swim, but also having a balanced life between education, my outside life and swimming, I feel like Butler has given me that perfect balance.
TBC: What has been the best part about this season?
AC: My favorite part of this year has been all the team bonding and our training trip to Florida. The training trip was probably my favorite part of the season so far. It was really hard, but we also had a lot of fun. We got to spend time with people who we don’t normally spend as much time with, which was nice.
TBC: How have Stewart and the rest of the coaching staff helped you grow as a swimmer?
AC: I love [Coach Stewart]. I feel like he really pays attention to details. When you’re swimming, he’s not afraid to call you out if your stroke needs critiquing, he’ll give you a drill to do. I feel like he’s very good at actually noticing the small details that really make a big impact on your swim and on your race.
TBC: Who is your favorite swimmer?
AC: Regan Smith. She is a backstroker, gold medalist and Olympian.
TBC: What is your favorite event in swimming?
AC: 200-meter breaststroke is my favorite.
TBC: What is your go-to pre-meet meal?
AC: Pasta.
TBC: What is your favorite movie?
AC: Mrs. Doubtfire. Such a funny movie.
