How I went from JV Swimmer to D1 Athlete (Recruiting + Swimming Tips)

Here’s how I went from a JV Swimmer in High School to swimming at the #1 D1 Swimming School in the NCAA. Former College Swimmer, Kyle Millis, talks you through his story of how he didn’t start swimming until 8th grade to how he went on recruiting trips to USC, Cal, Indiana, and more! Additionally, he shares insights for high school swimmers on how to have success and tips on How to Become a Better Swimmer.

Instagram: @Kyle_Millis

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[Aiden-dwnm]

bro accidentally qualified for state 💀

[one-vsgl]

i'm literally two and a half minutes in and i feel really motivated already! i've been trying to make it to tapps (texas) state this year, and your videos have helped me a lot :))

[danidecarlo]

Yes!! Finding the right coach is so important! It’s amazing what you can do when you have a coach that believes in you 😄

[sophiahuang]

Your story actually really aligns with mine. I swam for a team before freshman year but wasn't passionate enough. I came back after the pandemic super slow, and just this past season I managed to qualify (only for relays though haha) to WIAA States @ KCAC! I also consider myself a sprinter, and 100 Back is my second favorite event to swim. Also, California definitely has some schools I would want to go to. My current dream is to make Futures Championships by junior year (only one more year to do it!!), and its really impressive that you made it by sophomore year. Seeing the tremendous development you made (10 seconds in freshman year?? I only dropped 8 after my return T-T) really gives me hope that maybe its attainable.
Since we're also in the same relative location, this might be a bit of a stretch (since there is a lot of Olympic coaches out there) but I think your old former Canadian Olympian backstroke coach may be my current coach! He left from BCST to my current team. I actually just changed teams (to develop more than my 50-100) but I'm wondering if I made the right choice (Given Tip #2, should I have just stuck with the events I'm good at?).
Do you have any tips on your mentality with failure? How do you manage to stay determined in practice? When changing from solely sprinting to doing 200s, what were some struggles and how did you resolve them? Is there anything you primarily source the improvement you made in your first 2 years of high school to? Any dryland workouts you recommend for backstrokers? Thanks!

[aleclopez]

Thanks, Kyle, this helped me look into colleges because I am a junior in HS. Times aren't all really there but looking into colleges as swimming is something I want to pursue. Your videos help me out a ton thanks, Happy holidays

[kevindrdrill]

Really cool and inspirational story Kyle! I was also a swimmer in hs but wasn't very good, but I nevertheless still enjoy swimming as a hobby in college for exercise and to remember my swim days in hs. Good luck to u man in your future endeavors!

[bryandiffenderfer]

This is awesome! Proud of you and congrats on all of the success!

[SPaleocrassas]

This is a great video Kyle! I had a similar situation, I was a soccer player up until the start of my junior year in HS when doctors found a tumor in my hip. It wasn't able to be removed. Swimming was a sport that put very little stress on my hip, and as a summer league swimmer from an early age it seemed like the way to go. BY the end of my senior year I was able to hit some times that could get me into D1 schools, however most of them had no spots left due to a combination of me hitting those times so late and 5th years taking up roster spots. I decided to take a gap year to focus on swimming and also taking some gen eds at a local community college and it was definitely the right choice. Instead of going with a lower level college that had the space to accommodate me but not the resources to develop my swimming, I was able to commit to the school that is perfect for me. Most people think taking a gap year is sorta weird or scary mostly cause not many people choose to, but it gave me an opportunity to not only improve my times for college coaches but also to look into schools that were otherwise off the table!

[chriscipko]

Impressed with your success in swimming given your short period of time competing in the sport. I have swam for over 30 years and still enjoy it. Swam competitively during my youth years all the way through college. D1 as a Big Ten Spartan. Now I just swim for fitness and stress relief. Thanks for sharing this video. Good tips indeed that I would echo for any swimmer that has ambitions for collegiate swimming or diving.

[JMONEY-gydi]

This is a really dope video. I am a breastroker and have been in the sport for a while. It was only recently I made big strides when I went into d2 and went from a 1:04.65 100 to a 59.8 at mid season. Having a fighting spirit and the WANT to get better is what helped me. I want to keep going in the sport and eventually get down to the low 52s or below. I am going to try to attend bigger meets from now on like futures and ncsas.

[grovulin]

You’re my fav swimmer Kyle, merry Christmas and have a happy new year

[marcosricopeng]

What an incredible story and damn you've come a long way!!

[runfunmc]

dirty swims dude. swam d3 and it was great! didn’t go 45 in my 1 free but did it with a relay takeoff so i’ll take what i can get. keep it up!

[evanconti]

Hey Kyle, I found your videos not too long ago, and they’ve been really interesting! Especially since I’m a 200 backstroker and a sophomore in high school. Going into high school season I have a 1:50.0 and this video really helped to kind of see what a D1 elite swimmers times were in high school.

[milobrown]

Thank you for this inspirational story. I hope to do this too

[danpopper]

Those were huge drops man. Sophmore rn and I’m thinking about swimming in college. This helped a bit thx

[monkeydhemyy]

I’ve been swimming for a bit and my dream is to also be a d1 swimmer this helped me a lot thank you

[itzmyzt]

At 14 I go a 54 100 fly and I’m hoping I can take it to the next level so thanks for the advice

[Unknown-oxyq]

It's insane how you went from 1:06 to 54.1 in the same year!

[daveb]

we had a guy who was around 6, 8" join the swim team in High School, Already built well from lifting and other sports, he went on to brake state Records and get a full ride scholarship, only swam two years in high school and yea, it's mostly in the genes, tall, slim, big feet and hands all thats needed with some coaching to be really fast at sprinting, you fit that category so that happened to you too.