A quick conversation with the incomparable Sophia Verkleeren

'...this is kind of funny. And…well, this could be really bad.'

At this meet, context can shift quickly. Coming into our conversation with Sophia Verkleeren of Williams, we expected the buzz around her to center on the unusual moment when she briefly stopped mid-pool during a tightly contested 200 I.M. final.

Instead, the story shifted as Ms. Verkleeren went on to win the 400 I.M. yesterday, breaking one of the oldest records on the books—a 4:13.14 set by Caroline Wilson (also from Williams) at the 2012 Division III Nationals.

‘I'm sure you want to hear about the goggle thing’

Well, we did. We wanted to talk to Sophia Verkleeren about the goggles. If you missed it, here is the backstroke leg of the women’s 200 I.M., an event Sophia was attempting to win for an astonishing third time in a row (it would surprise you how rare that is). And then this happened.

In lane three is Kate Augustyn of MIT, the Division III record holder in 100 Back. In lane 5 is Jennah Fadely, the Division III record holder in 100 Breast. So, not a lot of margin for mid-race adjustments.

I think I maybe overestimated my ability to fix them quickly.

As Sophia Verkleeren dove in to start her final 200 I.M. as an NCAA athlete, she immediately felt her goggles shift. By the fly turn, she sensed the straps slipping further.

SV: I was like, oh no, that's not good.

She couldn’t recall ever having serious trouble with her goggles during a race, yet now they felt loose, unstable on her head. Midway through the butterfly leg, she tried an awkward maneuver—altering her stroke to push the goggles back into place with her arm. It didn't help.

Now into backstroke, more than 75 yards into the 200 yard race, the goggles dominated her thoughts, a problem in itself.

She was going over it in her head, trying to gauge the jeopardy. And regardless of risk, what were the options really? Take the hit now and try to fix them? Or keep going and hope they stay on?

Then she saw one of the straps, as it flopped forward over her face.

SV: And so I think that I just decided that I'm going to fix them really quick…And I think I maybe overestimated my ability to fix them quickly.

In her mind, she pictured herself executing just one stroke—albeit a "funky" one—to swiftly flip the straps back into place.

SV: Like super quick…Turns out it wasn't that quick.

Did I just get DQ’d?

The decision forced upon her, she acted deliberately. And you can see above just how much adjustment was needed. And then she did something that was not deliberate, but instinctual, given her position in the water and the need to stay afloat. She did a breaststroke kick.

SV: And I was like, oh my God, did I just get DQ'd?

We assured her we were immediately asking ourselves the same question.

I’m going to finish out a good race

SV: And then I do remember flipping and like seeing Kate push off ahead of me and I flipped and pushed off for the breaststroke and I thought, you know what? …I think I can still do it.

And in my head I went back and forth…this is kind of funny. And…well, this could be really bad.

And then I thought, whatever happened, happened. I'm going to do the best that I can. I might be DQ'd. I'm not sure. But I'm going to finish out a good race.

Maybe I should know the rules more carefully

Sophia Verkleeren’s self-effacing sense of humor is no small part of her considerable charm. Here we are discussing the rules around strokes in the individual medley, and what constitutes a disqualification.

SV: I actually wasn't quite sure what the rules were before that moment, which honestly, maybe that's, maybe I should know the rules more carefully.

She laughed and went on to explain what she later discussed with her coaches. There's nothing preventing her from what she did (a single breaststroke kick) during the backstroke leg. The rules stipulate you need to be on your back, you can’t touch the lane lines or the bottom of the pool, but in terms of the stroke itself, that’s about it.

You could breaststroke kick if you want. It is legal, but it doesn’t come up because as Sophia points out, why do a frog-kick during backstroke— ‘it’s not helping you.’

SV: So I'm really glad that I didn't [get DQ’d], but also, I think that it wouldn't have made me any less proud of my result if I was.

So it's like, I gotta go.

Her goggles now in place, she turned her attention to the other problem. She was behind Kate Augustyn, and ‘Kate has a very fast last fifty’. And they were heading into the breaststroke leg, where Jennah Fadely was closing in—’Jennah's a competitor, you know, and she's gonna be on fire. So it's like, I gotta go.’

It gets crazier. Because, somehow, through all this, Sophia Verkleeren caught Kate Augustyn, held off Jennah Fadely, and won her third straight 200 I.M. national championship.

SV: Overall, just one of the craziest and definitely most memorable races of my career, but I think that it worked out and it was fun. So I'm excited for the rest. So yeah, I'm happy.

I will be double capping for the first time in my career.

Takeaways?

SV: At the 400 Medley Relay last night, my goggles were on incredibly tight. I cannot believe how tight those goggles were on my face. And, today [for the 400 I.M. final], I will be double capping for the first time in my career.

I'm just going into it knowing that it's my last 400 I.M. ever. I'm excited to give it a good race and see what happens.