Zimcosky returns to area for swim meet
Ohio U’s Zimcosky returning “home”
During her storied swimming career at Geibel Catholic, Emily Zimcosky made a name swimming for herself in the city of Pittsburgh as she won six gold medals and set four WPIAL records at the WPIAL championships held at the University of Pittsburgh.
This coming Saturday, Zimcosky and her Ohio University teammates head to town for a swimming meet, and although it will be on the campus of Duquesne University and not at Pitt, she is excited to return home.
“I have been looking forward to returning home,” said the sophomore who has a 3.7 GPA. “It will be Duquesne, Xavier and us.”
The meet starts at 2 p.m.
Even though the meet is only a few days away, Zimcosky is not sure what races she will be swimming.
“It depends on what kind of lineup Coach Rachel (Komisarz-Baugh) is trying to put out there as this will get us ready for our conference schedule by putting us in different meets,” Zimcosky said. “It varies meet to meet as well as the home team gets to pick what relays are swam, so Duquesne picks them (Saturday).”
The relay races that Zimcosky has taken part in this year have been the 200- and 400-medley relays as well as the 200- and 400-freestyle relays.
She has also done three different individual races in the 100 freestyle, the 200 freestyle and the 500 freestyle.
However, Zimcosky may be taking on a new challenge Saturday: the 1,000-yard freestyle.
“I’m not 100 percent sure, but Coach Rachel told me earlier this (season) I would (do the 1,000-yard freestyle at some point) and this may be it,” Zimcosky said. “It is crazy to think that I came into college swimming the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyles, the shorter distances, but Coach Rachel has done a great job of building up my confidence to get me ready for it.
“If she thinks I can do it, I at least know a little bit that I can do it, and I will either do two relays and two individual events or one relay and three individual events.”
Zimcosky may not know until Saturday what races she is taking part in.
A Studio Art major who is looking to apply to the School of Ceramics, Zimcosky is taking 15 credits this semester and is looking to graduate with a Bachelor of the Fine Arts.
“I have two Ceramics classes, one Philosophy class, an online Biology class, and an Aqua Aerobics class,” she said with a brief chuckle about the Aerobics class. “We have that right after practice ends so all I have to do is literally walk over a few lanes.”
It is a fitting choice for Zimcosky, who painted murals on school walls and in school offices while in high school.
Zimcosky, whose older brother John Paul is a senior on the Fairmont State swimming team and is majoring in Exercise Science, is excited for the team to get back in action as it has not competed since the U.S. Winter Nationals which took place Nov. 29 through Dec. 2 at Ohio State University.
“We have been doing a lot of training since Nationals,” she said. “Plus, I got to go home for a short time to see my family although it was a tough stretch.”
While home, Zimcosky’s grandfather passed away and her father was taken to the hospital.
Despite being about three-and-a-half hours away from home, Zimcosky said she’s glad she chose Ohio University over the countless other offers she received.
“I am completely happy with my decision as I have met a lot of wonderful people and my roommate (sophomore Mikayla Herich) has become my best friend,” said Zimcosky, who won a pair of PIAA titles to go with her six WPIAL titles. “I fully bought in to Coach Rachel and that she will get me to where I need to be.
“I love the classes and have fallen in love with the art department down here.”
Zimcosky would have won more PIAA titles had she competed at the PIAA championships, but she passed on the PIAAs to go to the Olympic training trials instead where she qualified for the 2016 Olympic trials as did two of her teammates in Herich and junior Corrin VanLanen.
She has the 2020 Trials in her future.
“I will train for the Olympic trials in 2020 but they are still quite a while out,” she said. “But to think we are a year closer, I feel I am making strides towards that.”
But for now, Zimcosky returns home to swim Saturday a mere 2.9 miles from where she dominated the WPIAL Championships and looks to help Ohio University pick up a win.
Pitt hosts Duke tonight
Pitt hosts Duke in men’s basketball action tonight at The Pete.
I will provide a first-person experience review next week.
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