One more prestigious honor might top off UK swimmer Asia Seidt’s terrific career
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One more prestigious honor might top off UK swimmer Asia Seidt’s terrific career
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In this gloom-and-doom time of a coronavirus pandemic — we’re still in a pandemic, for heaven’s sake — let’s shift gears and take a deep dive into something a little more positive.
Let’s talk about Asia Seidt because, to be honest, we haven’t talked enough about Asia Seidt.
Of all the female athletes at all the schools in all the SEC, the conference has one female athlete nominated for this year’s NCAA Woman of the Year Award, to be announced this fall. And it is none other than the highly decorated swimmer from the University of Kentucky, who will begin her work in UK’s physical therapy graduate program on Monday.
“It’s been incredible, and just to have that support was the reason I was able to even be in contention for this award, and it’s crazy to see the other people nominated,” Seidt said Friday on a Zoom video conference with the media. “It’s such an elite group of athletes, and it’s truly such an honor to just be in the field with those people.”
Elite describes Seidt, as well. The Louisville native, who swam for Sacred Heart Academy and the Lakeside Swim Club, has earned more in-the-pool accolades than any UK athlete in history, including 21 All-American honors, 15 SEC championship honors, eight NCAA podium finishes, four conference titles, one USA Swimming Summer Nationals gold medal, plus a silver medal at the World University Games in Naples, Italy.
She hasn’t done too badly out of the water, either, compiling a 4.0 GPA, completing 450 hours of professional shadowing in physical therapy as well as over 200 hours of community service at the Hope Center, Kentucky Aquatics and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bluegrass. That led her to being named the 2020 H. Boyd McWhorter SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Asia, where did you find the time? “So, I would say it’s the resources at UK,” she said Friday. “I don’t know how they all do it, but they’re incredible at that.”
She is in a transition period now. The pandemic forced the NCAA to cancel the NCAA championships four days before they were scheduled to begin. Then the NCAA ruled swimmers and divers would not be given an eligibility extension, thus ending Seidt’s collegiate career. Oh well, she still had the U.S. Olympic Trials ahead of her. Then that was canceled, with the Olympics being pushed back to 2021.
“I was still planning on swimming then, but things just got harder and harder,” Seidt said. “I guess I kind of realized, just with my schedule and graduate school, and the uncertainty of if the Olympics were going to happen next year, I decided it was best to just move on.”
In other words, Seidt is retired from swimming. “I got back to Lexington a couple of weeks ago, and it’s just weird being here and not swimming,” she said.
Seidt was asked Friday for her best in-the-pool moment. Beating Louisville her sophomore year, for the first time in nine years, she said. She is from Louisville, after all.
Asked for her best out-of-pool moment, she didn’t mention awards.
“We actually got to go out for doughnuts after the NCAA championships (in 2019),” she said. “That was like what we were looking forward to, and the coaches finally agreed to. So, we got to go in downtown Austin and go get doughnuts, nothing else, but it was something really fun for the girls.”
In these crazy and difficult times, we need to remember that’s what it should be all about for these athletes. Studying. Competing. Contributing inside and outside their sport. Having fun with their teammates and friends. And then, eventually, moving on.
“To say you’re from Kentucky and to represent the state of Kentucky, and you’re from there, I think it means more to me than anything,” Seidt said Friday. “I love this state, and I love this school. I had never really been here in high school besides just the pool, but the people here have made it so beyond special, and it’s truly been such an honor to have UK on my cap for the past four years and be able to represent them. It’s like the best of the best people, and it’s going to be hard to leave that environment, but I’m excited for what the future holds.”
This story was originally published August 16, 2020 at 9:19 AM.
