Betsy King, a Columbus North graduate and Ball State University senior, will compete at Ball State University.
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In the early 2010s, Betsy King, Olivia Morlock and Rachel Sabotin started swimming together in Columbus as part of the Donner Swim Club.
King and Morlock had stellar high school careers at Columbus North, while Sabotin was a four-time state qualifier at Trinity Lutheran University.
The trio attended three different schools in the Mid-American Conference in 2020. Four years later, they will be putting the finishing touches on their competitive swimming careers this week when they compete in the MAC Championships in Athens, Ohio.
“I think it’s great to have Olivia and Rachel join us as well,” said King, a senior at Ball State University. “We've pretty much grown up together in the sport of swimming, and it's great to be able to finish at the same time.”
Focus on swimming
Morlock was a three-sport star at North. She was an outstanding runner, leading the Bulldogs to four straight state finals in cross country and a state berth in the 3,200 meter track. She received the overall award for 2019-20 Republic Female Athlete of the Year.
olivia morlock
But when it came time to choose a college sport, Morlock settled on swimming and chose Ohio University.
“Switching to full-time swimming was a big change,” Morlock said. “Practicing 20 hours a week is taxing. It's physically and mentally demanding, but it's definitely worth it in the end.”
As a distance swimmer, Morlock's best event is the 1,650-yard freestyle, also known as the mile. She finished eighth in the MAC as a freshman in this event.
“It was definitely different than I expected, but in the best possible way,” Morlock said. “I have big goals coming into college, but many of my performance goals have yet to be achieved. However, I have really enjoyed the relationships I have built and the experiences I have had here.”
Morlock will swim the exhibition 500 freestyle on Thursday, the 400 individual medley on Friday and the 1,650 freestyle on Saturday. She thinks the host Bobcats can compete with Miami (Ohio) and Akron for the team title.
“This is definitely the best in our team history,” Morlock said. “We have a chance to do something special this weekend and you can feel the energy and unity to do our best.”
sprinter
King was a standout sprinter at North and was a three-time state qualifier. Although she hasn't had much success at Ball State, she thinks she wants to finish on a high note.
“At conference last year, I had the best time in every event, which I hadn’t done since my senior year of high school,” King said. “My coaches and teammates really helped me get there. I'm really excited to see what happens this week and how I finish.”
Betsy King
At the MAC meet, King is scheduled to swim the 50 freestyle on Thursday, the 200 freestyle on Friday and the 100 freestyle on Saturday.
“This season has had a lot of ups and downs, but that's typical,” King said. “I've been cutting weight for the past few weeks, so I'm looking forward to seeing what hard work and a bit of rest will do for me this season.”
King isn't going into the match with high expectations.
“I hope I can keep chasing my personal best time,” King said. “It's my last time in the pool, so I'm going to have fun with my teammates and do the best I can. I'm both happy and sad that the sport of swimming is ending, but I have fond memories of it.” I also feel sad because so many things happened.”
fighting against adversity
Sabotin has had a roller coaster career in Akron. After finishing fourth in the MAC's 200 IM and fifth in the 200 butterfly as a freshman, she missed most of her sophomore year due to COVID-19.
At the end of his sophomore year, he underwent surgery to remove his gallbladder. She was away from the pool for six months before her junior season began.
“I have been truly blessed with opportunities and support,” Sabotin said. “If you had asked me as a freshman what the outcome would have been, it would have been a lot different, a lot of curveballs being thrown at me from different directions. But I had the support of my family and the team. . I'm very blessed with the support system I have in Akron and the support system my family has.”
Rachel Sabotin, a Columbus native, Trinity Lutheran graduate and Akron senior, swam the butterfly portion of Akron's 400-yard individual medley.
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Sabotin got stronger by the end of last season, finishing fourth in the 200 IM, fifth in the 200 butterfly and eighth in the 100 butterfly at the MAC meet. She is poised to do even better this week.
“This is the first year I've been able to train really well since my freshman year,” Sabotin said. “It's been great to be back from illness and injury. I was finally cleared to do everything from pool to lifting this summer, so I had a really solid summer of training.”
rachel sabotin
If things go really well for Sabotine this week, this match might not be her last. She hopes to earn her NCAA cut in at least one event.
“It's definitely in the back of my mind during training,” Sabotin said. “I just have to see what God has planned for me. Whatever happens is going to happen, but it's definitely what I've been training for.”
King swam with Donner for 14 years, and Morlock swam for both Donner and Club Olympia during his time at North, while Sabotin switched to Club Olympia in high school.
“I grew up swimming with Betsy and Olivia, and it feels like everything has come full circle,” Sabotin said. “I think this competition is going to be really fun. I had a good year this year, which was more of the result I was looking for as a freshman. But it's not about the result. I've built it with my teammates. I think about the bond, the experiences I’ve had, and how that will help me in my life going forward.”
future
In addition to their success in the pool, King, Morlock and Sabotin were all Academic All-Mac honorees during their college years.
Sabotin graduated from the University of Akron in three years with a degree in speech-language pathology. She is in her first year of a two-year master's program and will be a student assistant in speech pathology at the University of Florida next year.
King and Morlock both plan to pursue nursing careers. Morlock has one more year left at Ohio University, while King has two or three semesters left at Ball State.
All three will have a chance to compete again next year because the NCAA granted athletes with the pandemic an extra year of eligibility. But they are ready to move on to the next chapter of their lives.
“I had a really great experience here,” King said. “The coaching staff has been really great. The team is great. We talked about it, but right now it's really about focusing on academics and having a year in college without worrying about athletics and just enjoying life.” I think I want to do.”
“I think bittersweet is the right word,” Morlock added. “Swimming has been a big part of my life and I have so many great memories of this sport. But at the same time, it's also time to move on and see what else is out there.”
