Growing up in a family of athletes, Chase Kinney has always had a competitive streak and strong work ethic, and it’s definitely translated over to massive success at the college level.
The former four-sport athlete has now shifted her focus over to swimming, and in the three years she has been at UW, has developed into one of the fastest sprinters in the country.
Kinney’s path to success started in Canton, Ohio, where she grew up the oldest of four siblings. With her mother, a former collegiate runner, and father, a former collegiate volleyball player, she had no shortage of healthy competition and encouragement to work hard, no matter whether it was in the pool, on the track or on the softball diamond.
“[My parents] always encouraged my work ethic, but now I do it on my own,” Kinney explained. “If I was going to go and run, or swimming when I didn’t want to swim, or going out to hit on my own, they always encouraged it.”
She also credits her brother, Sam, a freshman who swims at Clarion University in Pennsylvania, for pushing her harder.
“We’re always super competitive, even now, I’m comparing my times to [Sam’s], it’s kind of funny,” Kinney said.
When she arrived at UW two years ago, Kinney was greeted by a new training partner, now-graduated All-American Ivy Martin, who has been a huge role model for her both in the pool and out. Kinney recalls her first meet as a Badger, a dual against perennial power Georgia, and how instrumental Martin was when she got nervous before her first big race.
“Ivy is a super good role model,” Kinney says. “She always seemed pretty calm and collected before races, freshman year I was nervous because it was super new to me, and she definitely helped me out. [At Georgia] I was like ‘Ivy, when are you going up for this race,’ and she was like ‘Oh, it’s just casual,’ and she calmed my nerves.”
Martin has benefitted from having Kinney around as well.
“It was really exciting for me to have Chase coming in because she was really good coming out of high school,” Martin recalls. “I’ve gotten better each year that I’ve been here, and Chase has been a big part of that, just having someone to race in practice and challenge me. It’s good to have someone there pushing me and making me better.”
Now, two years after that meet at Georgia, Kinney has a chance to be a role model for another hard-working freshman in the long line of UW sprinters — Emmy Sehmann.
“Emmy is one of the hardest workers on the team,” Kinney said. “She’s super motivated and it’s super exciting to train with her, she’s such a good trainer, she pushes me and I’m sure she pushes Ivy. She’s got a lot to learn still, which is exciting because I can be someone she can look up to.”
This encouragement from both her teammates and family has given Kinney the strength to keep pushing herself harder, and this spring, she finally was rewarded for her efforts — she was named Big Ten runner-up in the 50-yard freestyle. With a time of 21.8 seconds, the only person to best her was Ohio State sophomore Liz Li, a former world record holder and 2008 Olympian who represents China internationally. Coming into this week’s NCAAs, Kinney will have a chance to race Li again for the big prize.
“I’m excited, because this time, I’ll be able to put up a better fight,” Kinney said of racing Li. “I wasn’t very satisfied with how I swam at Big Tens, I’m ready to do a lot better at NCAAs.”
Martin thinks Kinney has it in the bag.
“It’s hard to have a really good swim at conference, and just hope you can repeat it at NCAAs, which is probably what [Liz Li] is thinking is going to happen right now,” Martin explained. “A lot of Wisconsin swimmers do a lot better at NCAAs than conference compared to a lot of other teams historically.”
Kinney has loftier goals as well, specifically to make the semifinals of the upcoming Olympic Trials. Making her first trip to Omaha, she’ll be training with Martin until they leave on June 24.
“It’s the most extravagant meet ever,” Martin said of the Olympic Trials. “They’re actually having it in the same place where the Badgers played in the Sweet Sixteen in Omaha last year, so they’re turning this basketball court into a pool, with fire along the side of the pool.”
Kinney is not fazed by the extravagance.
“I’m just excited to swim there,” Kinney said. “I really want to make it to semis, that’s my big goal. Who knows, I could make it to the top eight, but semis is at least where I want to make it to.”
