Rumrill at NCAA Championships
Major Monday: Rumrill Hoping to "Just Do it"
10/10/2016 | General, Women's Swimming and Diving
Beginning her swimming career at the age of 6, Mackenzie Rumrill has built quite the resume in the pool throughout her youth, high school and college days.
Her long list of accomplishments include being named Oregon Female Athlete of the Year during her final year in high school, finishing in the top ten in the 100-yard butterfly event at the Pac-12 Championships, and earning two All-American honors at the 2015 NCAA Championships.
But the sophomore from Salem, Ore. has goals beyond the pool, starting with a degree she is currently pursuing at Arizona in Retail and Consumer Sciences.
"I hadn't heard of it before and then Sam Amato [C.A.T.S Academics counselor] recommended it to me," Rumrill said, who had previously declared a physiology major.
Though she's an underclassman, Rumrill has a very clear goal in mind: Just Do It.
"I've grown up as a student-athlete through elementary, middle, and high school, and Nike has given a lot to me and helped me become the athlete I am," she said. "I want to give back to more athletes so they can reach their highest potential."
Being a student-athlete at the University of Arizona directly effected her interest in retail and consumer science and specifically in Nike.
"Here at the U of A, we're sponsored by Nike, so we get a lot of gear. It's the gear we put on that represents the University and we stand with pride with the block A," Rumrill said.
Added Amato: "Retail and Consumer Sciences is typically a good alternative for students who are thinking they want to do a general business type of degree. She specifically is very interested in a Nike internship, much more interested in marketing and those types of things. She was just super jazzed that it was exactly what she wanted, as opposed to business, where it felt more general and broad. That's really how we started narrowing it down. There are a lot of requirements in the major that are similar to business, but they have their own stuff too."
Rumrill is currently hoping to apply for a Nike internship during the summer of either her junior or senior year, but in the meantime she is trying to balance college athletics, a full course load, and being prepared for post-college life.
The sophomore, who holds two top-ten all-time records at Arizona in the 100 fly and 200 IM, is trying to complete the Wildcat Way program, where student-athletes complete 50 hours of community service, 10, which include public speaking, and career development, such as mock interviews and creating resumes.
Rumrill believes her time at Arizona will benefit her career and will prepare her for her future, but in the mean time she is focusing on finishing the rest of her four years successfully.
"You're going to the highest level of academics and you're going to the highest level of athletics here at Arizona, so what would you expect?" Rumrill said. "I don't know a lot about business but I can only imagine as an employer seeing a student-athlete who not only had 20 hours of workouts every single week and 20 hours of studies plus extracurricular (activities), so I think it would really stand out. It's been really hard to get all of those hours but I'm working on it."
Her long list of accomplishments include being named Oregon Female Athlete of the Year during her final year in high school, finishing in the top ten in the 100-yard butterfly event at the Pac-12 Championships, and earning two All-American honors at the 2015 NCAA Championships.
But the sophomore from Salem, Ore. has goals beyond the pool, starting with a degree she is currently pursuing at Arizona in Retail and Consumer Sciences.
"I hadn't heard of it before and then Sam Amato [C.A.T.S Academics counselor] recommended it to me," Rumrill said, who had previously declared a physiology major.
Though she's an underclassman, Rumrill has a very clear goal in mind: Just Do It.
"I've grown up as a student-athlete through elementary, middle, and high school, and Nike has given a lot to me and helped me become the athlete I am," she said. "I want to give back to more athletes so they can reach their highest potential."
Being a student-athlete at the University of Arizona directly effected her interest in retail and consumer science and specifically in Nike.
"Here at the U of A, we're sponsored by Nike, so we get a lot of gear. It's the gear we put on that represents the University and we stand with pride with the block A," Rumrill said.
Added Amato: "Retail and Consumer Sciences is typically a good alternative for students who are thinking they want to do a general business type of degree. She specifically is very interested in a Nike internship, much more interested in marketing and those types of things. She was just super jazzed that it was exactly what she wanted, as opposed to business, where it felt more general and broad. That's really how we started narrowing it down. There are a lot of requirements in the major that are similar to business, but they have their own stuff too."
Rumrill is currently hoping to apply for a Nike internship during the summer of either her junior or senior year, but in the meantime she is trying to balance college athletics, a full course load, and being prepared for post-college life.
The sophomore, who holds two top-ten all-time records at Arizona in the 100 fly and 200 IM, is trying to complete the Wildcat Way program, where student-athletes complete 50 hours of community service, 10, which include public speaking, and career development, such as mock interviews and creating resumes.
Rumrill believes her time at Arizona will benefit her career and will prepare her for her future, but in the mean time she is focusing on finishing the rest of her four years successfully.
"You're going to the highest level of academics and you're going to the highest level of athletics here at Arizona, so what would you expect?" Rumrill said. "I don't know a lot about business but I can only imagine as an employer seeing a student-athlete who not only had 20 hours of workouts every single week and 20 hours of studies plus extracurricular (activities), so I think it would really stand out. It's been really hard to get all of those hours but I'm working on it."
Players Mentioned
FLY/IM
/ Women's Swimming and DivingWednesday, October 14
Wednesday, October 14
Wednesday, October 14
Monday, October 12
