By Shareeza Sharif, Courier Staff Writer
Jannae Torres, a senior, received an athletic scholarship to Fresno State for Division 1 swimming in which Fresno State were one of her first choice schools. Jannae has been swimming since she was 9 years old, and competitively at 11 years old.
Torres was offered scholarships from many other schools but decided to go with Fresno State University. Earlier this school year, Torres had the opportunity to go on an official visit for three days where she was able to see what the school had to offer.
She has competed at sectionals in Seattle and Texas. She also qualified for the Futures championship meet at Stanford and Santa Clara. She also won 100br in MVALS for 2 years in a row and has been qualified for NCS for 3 years. Torres also swam the Alcatraz challenge and placed 3rd.
Receiving an athletic scholarship from a university is not an easy task. Jannae had to work hard mentally and physically to get where she wanted to be. One thing she mentioned was working on building confidence in herself, knowing that she can receive an athletic scholarship if she worked hard and stay motivated. Another motivator was her belief that she had the potential to be one of the best swimmers out there and knowing she had a chance to continue swimming in college.
Jannae’s parents were a big support on her journey. “My mom wakes up at 3am to take me to morning practices and takes me right after school for practice again and sacrifices a lot of her time for me,” said Torres.
Many athletes feel the pressure to perform their best so that they can continue doing what they love whether it’s in college, as a coach, or even in the Olympics. Jannae’s word of advice for any student athletes there is, “ just using those nerves into what you’re doing is the key.”
Jannae was also a part of the James Logan Puente program where she received support from the counselor, Ms. Meza, and English teacher, Ms. Hughes. Puente helped her figure out what she needed to look for in a college that would be best for her. “I think without Puente, I wouldn’t have been where I am today. They really focus on you as an individual and really make sure you have what you need.”
Jannae is an accomplished student and was able to balance both school and swimming in order to become successful in both. As her fellow classmate and Puente Familia member, I can say that she has grown into a strong young woman and I’m excited to see where she’s headed in life.