Wednesday, February 18
Lewisburg, Pa.
6:00:00 PM
Lehigh University
at
Patriot League Championships
Leung leads rising Lehigh women into Patriot League Championships
2/17/2015 1:48:00 PM | Women's Swimming and Diving
Patriot League Championships Home | Watch on PLN
By Matthew LoBello '15, Lehigh Sports Media Relations
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Ever since Lehigh senior Alissa Leung was 5-years-old, swimming has been a part of her life. As the Garden City, New York, native progressed through the sport, the time commitment became greater, the workouts grew harder and the competition ever more fierce.
Â
However, at the conclusion of this weekend's Patriot League Championship, her competitive swimming career will come to a finish. Yet, the ever-humble Leung is more concerned with her team than any individual distinctions. Â
          Â
"My goal is to swim as fast as I can to get as many points as possible for my team, but I also want to be there to support my teammates, too," Leung said.
          Â
The Mountain Hawks finished fifth at last year's championship, but team finishes have not necessarily been indicative of the team's success.
Â
In recent years, the Mountain Hawks have swam their best when it mattered the most at the Patriot League Championship. In 2011, the Mountain Hawks scored a mere 230 points. In Leung's first three seasons, Lehigh has earned 317.5, 312, and most recently, 356 points at the league championship. Lehigh has finished fifth in three straight years, with last year's finish good enough for the top half of what is now a ten team league.
Â
Last year at Navy, Lehigh was led by junior Courtney Patterson's first place finish in the 400-yard IM with a school record of 4:16.73. In addition, current sophomore Kaitlyn Ruffing also placed first in the 100-yard freestyle race with a school record time of 50.51. Both Patterson and Ruffing became the first Lehigh swimmers to achieve an individual first place finish at the Patriot League Championship in nearly a decade.
Â
For Leung, there would be no better way to complete her collegiate swimming career than the way it started.
          Â
As a freshman, Leung set the school record in the 200-yard backstroke (2:00.05) and placed third in the event at the Patriot League Championship. She won the 2012 Women's Swimming and Diving Freshman of the Year award, and the 2012 Women's Swimming and Diving Outstanding Athlete accolade.
Â
"To be third in the Patriot League as a freshman was very cool, and an honor," Leung said. "Myself and the whole team, we put in so much hard work and a lot of time into our swimming, so after all of that it is definitely rewarding to swim fast times at our championship meets."
Â
Leung's competitive swimming career can be traced back to sixth grade when she joined the USA swimming club on Long Island.
Â
"That's when I began competitive swimming, and I've just stuck with it ever since," Leung said.
Â
Leung's tenure at the swimming club has independently accompanied her time on swimming teams in school. As her career proceeded into high school, Leung found great success. According to CollegeSwimming.com, Leung ranked among the best recruits in New York, placing seventh within the state and amongst the top 400 swimmers nationwide in the class of 2011.
Â
"Coming out of high school, I knew that I wanted to go to a Division I swimming school," Leung said. "I looked at Lehigh and I thought it was a great fit for me because of its good balance between athletics and academics."
Â
Then when Leung went to Lehigh on her official visit, she knew that one day she would don the brown and white.
Â
"The team members had a great relationship with the coaches and it was a close-knit team that supported each other, and that was what I was looking for," Leung said.
Â
Nearly four years later, she owns school records in the 100 and 200 yard backstroke events and is a member of school and Jacobs Pool-record holding 400 medley relay teams.
Â
As the lead swimmer in the medley relay, Leung has the critical and decisive position of beginning the race, which will set the pace for the rest of her team.
Â
"She leads off every medley relay with the strongest effort," said head coach Rob Herb. "The other girls see that and know what they need to do."
Â
"As a senior and school record holder she is very well respected by all," fellow senior Madeleine Smith said. "Even though she is very quiet everyone knows they can look to her and always see her doing the right thing."
Â
Outside of the pool, Leung has always taken an interest to mathematics.
Â
"I was definitely planning on majoring in mathematics, but wasn't exactly sure if I wanted to go into education or business with it," Leung said.
Â
In June, Leung will be working as an analyst for the consulting and outsourcing firm, Aon Hewitt.
Â
"Going through the classes here at Lehigh, I took an interest in the probability and statistics side of mathematics," Leung said. "I was open to suggestions, and I came across this opportunity and decided to take it."
Â
For the backstroke specialist, the balance between swimming and academics has not come easy. Now, as the team prepares for the end of their competition season, the Mountain Hawks practice nearly 20 hours a week, which includes three double practice sessions.
Â
When the team has a two-a-day practice, Leung starts her morning at 5:30 a.m. to be at practice by 6:00 a.m. The morning hours are usually complemented by a land workout of crossfit or a lifting session.
Â
Following their morning practice, Leung and her fellow teammates will typically recuperate at a team breakfast, which is accompanied by a full day of classes and practice later that day at 4 p.m. at Jacobs Pool.
Â
"Then after that I'll probably go to the library to get some work done," Leung said. "It is difficult sometimes, but my closest friends have always been on the swim team. Everyone has just been so supportive, I wouldn't have been able to get through this without my teammates and coaches."
Â
"She is a very hard worker," Ruffing said. "She will not complain about a set given to her and will try her very hardest no matter the circumstances. While others will shy away from hard practices, Alissa embraces them and tries to help her teammates embrace them as well."
Â
Leung has emerged as a quiet leader on this year's team. Through student-athlete leadership programs such as Personal Responsibility in Determining Excellence (P.R.I.D.E.), emerging leaders and leadership legacies, Leung has gained instrumental leadership skills to help her guide this year's Mountain Hawk team. Â
Â
"As a freshman I was definitely a little bit nervous, but going through these programs has definitely made me a better leader for my team," Leung said. "I want to set a good example for the underclassmen and to let them know that they can come to me with anything. I am there to support them, we are all teammates and we are all working towards the same goal."
Leung and her fellow Mountain Hawks will begin competition for the Patriot League title on Wednesday, at Bucknell's Kinney Natatorium.
Â
Last year the Lehigh women set 13 school records in addition to the two individual champions. All four of Lehigh's All-Patriot League women from a year ago return with junior Carolyn Koch and sophomore Cora Summerfield joining Patterson and Ruffing.
Â
The Patriot League Championships begin Wednesday at 6 p.m. from Lewisburg, Pa. The remainder of the four-day event features preliminaries beginning at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday with championship finals to follow each night at 6 p.m. The entire Patriot League Championship meet will be broadcast on the Patriot League Network.
Â
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By Matthew LoBello '15, Lehigh Sports Media Relations
Â
Ever since Lehigh senior Alissa Leung was 5-years-old, swimming has been a part of her life. As the Garden City, New York, native progressed through the sport, the time commitment became greater, the workouts grew harder and the competition ever more fierce.
Â
However, at the conclusion of this weekend's Patriot League Championship, her competitive swimming career will come to a finish. Yet, the ever-humble Leung is more concerned with her team than any individual distinctions. Â
          Â
"My goal is to swim as fast as I can to get as many points as possible for my team, but I also want to be there to support my teammates, too," Leung said.
          Â
The Mountain Hawks finished fifth at last year's championship, but team finishes have not necessarily been indicative of the team's success.
Â
In recent years, the Mountain Hawks have swam their best when it mattered the most at the Patriot League Championship. In 2011, the Mountain Hawks scored a mere 230 points. In Leung's first three seasons, Lehigh has earned 317.5, 312, and most recently, 356 points at the league championship. Lehigh has finished fifth in three straight years, with last year's finish good enough for the top half of what is now a ten team league.
Â
Last year at Navy, Lehigh was led by junior Courtney Patterson's first place finish in the 400-yard IM with a school record of 4:16.73. In addition, current sophomore Kaitlyn Ruffing also placed first in the 100-yard freestyle race with a school record time of 50.51. Both Patterson and Ruffing became the first Lehigh swimmers to achieve an individual first place finish at the Patriot League Championship in nearly a decade.
Â
For Leung, there would be no better way to complete her collegiate swimming career than the way it started.
          Â
As a freshman, Leung set the school record in the 200-yard backstroke (2:00.05) and placed third in the event at the Patriot League Championship. She won the 2012 Women's Swimming and Diving Freshman of the Year award, and the 2012 Women's Swimming and Diving Outstanding Athlete accolade.
Â
"To be third in the Patriot League as a freshman was very cool, and an honor," Leung said. "Myself and the whole team, we put in so much hard work and a lot of time into our swimming, so after all of that it is definitely rewarding to swim fast times at our championship meets."
Â
Leung's competitive swimming career can be traced back to sixth grade when she joined the USA swimming club on Long Island.
Â
"That's when I began competitive swimming, and I've just stuck with it ever since," Leung said.
Â
Leung's tenure at the swimming club has independently accompanied her time on swimming teams in school. As her career proceeded into high school, Leung found great success. According to CollegeSwimming.com, Leung ranked among the best recruits in New York, placing seventh within the state and amongst the top 400 swimmers nationwide in the class of 2011.
Â
"Coming out of high school, I knew that I wanted to go to a Division I swimming school," Leung said. "I looked at Lehigh and I thought it was a great fit for me because of its good balance between athletics and academics."
Â
Then when Leung went to Lehigh on her official visit, she knew that one day she would don the brown and white.
Â
"The team members had a great relationship with the coaches and it was a close-knit team that supported each other, and that was what I was looking for," Leung said.
Â
Nearly four years later, she owns school records in the 100 and 200 yard backstroke events and is a member of school and Jacobs Pool-record holding 400 medley relay teams.
Â
As the lead swimmer in the medley relay, Leung has the critical and decisive position of beginning the race, which will set the pace for the rest of her team.
Â
"She leads off every medley relay with the strongest effort," said head coach Rob Herb. "The other girls see that and know what they need to do."
Â
"As a senior and school record holder she is very well respected by all," fellow senior Madeleine Smith said. "Even though she is very quiet everyone knows they can look to her and always see her doing the right thing."
Â
Outside of the pool, Leung has always taken an interest to mathematics.
Â
"I was definitely planning on majoring in mathematics, but wasn't exactly sure if I wanted to go into education or business with it," Leung said.
Â
In June, Leung will be working as an analyst for the consulting and outsourcing firm, Aon Hewitt.
Â
"Going through the classes here at Lehigh, I took an interest in the probability and statistics side of mathematics," Leung said. "I was open to suggestions, and I came across this opportunity and decided to take it."
Â
For the backstroke specialist, the balance between swimming and academics has not come easy. Now, as the team prepares for the end of their competition season, the Mountain Hawks practice nearly 20 hours a week, which includes three double practice sessions.
Â
When the team has a two-a-day practice, Leung starts her morning at 5:30 a.m. to be at practice by 6:00 a.m. The morning hours are usually complemented by a land workout of crossfit or a lifting session.
Â
Following their morning practice, Leung and her fellow teammates will typically recuperate at a team breakfast, which is accompanied by a full day of classes and practice later that day at 4 p.m. at Jacobs Pool.
Â
"Then after that I'll probably go to the library to get some work done," Leung said. "It is difficult sometimes, but my closest friends have always been on the swim team. Everyone has just been so supportive, I wouldn't have been able to get through this without my teammates and coaches."
Â
"She is a very hard worker," Ruffing said. "She will not complain about a set given to her and will try her very hardest no matter the circumstances. While others will shy away from hard practices, Alissa embraces them and tries to help her teammates embrace them as well."
Â
Leung has emerged as a quiet leader on this year's team. Through student-athlete leadership programs such as Personal Responsibility in Determining Excellence (P.R.I.D.E.), emerging leaders and leadership legacies, Leung has gained instrumental leadership skills to help her guide this year's Mountain Hawk team. Â
Â
"As a freshman I was definitely a little bit nervous, but going through these programs has definitely made me a better leader for my team," Leung said. "I want to set a good example for the underclassmen and to let them know that they can come to me with anything. I am there to support them, we are all teammates and we are all working towards the same goal."
Leung and her fellow Mountain Hawks will begin competition for the Patriot League title on Wednesday, at Bucknell's Kinney Natatorium.
Â
Last year the Lehigh women set 13 school records in addition to the two individual champions. All four of Lehigh's All-Patriot League women from a year ago return with junior Carolyn Koch and sophomore Cora Summerfield joining Patterson and Ruffing.
Â
The Patriot League Championships begin Wednesday at 6 p.m. from Lewisburg, Pa. The remainder of the four-day event features preliminaries beginning at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday with championship finals to follow each night at 6 p.m. The entire Patriot League Championship meet will be broadcast on the Patriot League Network.
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