BEREA, Ohio -- Junior All-Ohio Athletic Conference and Academic All-OAC swimmer Chandler Ashbaugh (Napoleon) has enjoyed a fantastic career as a typical high-achieving student-athlete on the campus of Baldwin Wallace University.  Ashbaugh arrived in Berea in the fall 2012 and hasn't stopped achieving her goals and being a team-leader since stepping foot on campus.

Ashbaugh was selected as the Yellow Jacket "Rookie of the Year" that season.  She also earned her first varsity letter. Individually, she posted team-best times in the 50-yard freestyle (25.26 seconds), 200-yard freestyle (1:59.00), 50-yard butterfly (28.92), 100-yard butterfly (1:01.20) and 200-yard butterfly (2:20.04).

As a sophomore in 2013-2014, Ashbaugh swam her second season and earned her second letter. She also earned All-OAC honors in the 100-yard butterfly and as a member of the 400-yard medley relay team. She set a school record individually in the 200-yard individual medley and as a member of the 200-yard medley, 400-yard medley and 400-yard freestyle relay teams. She had team-best times in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle, 50, 100 and 200-yard butterfly and 2000-yard IM.

As a junior in 2014-2015, Ashbaugh is swimming her third season and hopes to earn her third letter.  She already is having a strong season and has captured two OAC Female Swimmer-of-the- Week awards.

Ashbaugh began her college career in 2012-2013 campaign and has enjoyed her time in Berea ever since.

"I wouldn't change my decision at all.  I came to BW because I really liked the campus, the atmosphere and the class sizes," said Ashbaugh, who is a three-time OAC Swimmer-of-the-Week honoree during her career.  "I am from a small town so the small class sizes are the same they were in high school.  Athletically, I can obviously swim and be able to be an athlete and a student and manage it.

Angela Musille, a 2014 BW graduate and one of last season's team captains, has been a great friend and mentor to Ashbaugh. She also was a standout student in the classroom and an OAC champion in the pool.

"As a freshman and sophomore, I had a mentor on the swim team," said Ashbaugh.  "Her name was Angela Musille.  She was a junior when I was a freshman.

"Angela is a lot like me," continued Ashbaugh. "She is well-organized and had a high GPA. She is on the swimming record board and was one of the other girls who helped to break a number of relay records with me.  She has probably been the biggest influence in my swimming career. More importantly, she has helped teach me how to effectively juggle school and swimming." 

Academically, Ashbaugh carries a 3.78 grade point average in early childhood education, is a Dean's List student, a Jacket Scholar and a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society.  As a sophomore in 2013-2014, she earned Academic All-OAC honors (minimum 3.496 grade point average). 

"I am very organized.  I have a planner and I do everything by the book.  I run around a lot and do a lot to keep a steady head.  I make sure "this" has to get done at this time and "that" has to get done at that time.  I just make sure I am organized and stay on top of things," said Ashbaugh.

Ashbaugh stays calm and collected before a big swim meet and has made adjustments to her daily warm-up routine.  She is a swimmer that stays relaxed and treats a meet as just another day in the pool.

"Preparing for a meet, I got in my head a lot in high school and psyched myself out at times, so now I just go out and try to relax," said Ashbaugh.  "Typically, if it's an away or home meet, we [the team] get up in the morning, swim for a little bit, and then eat breakfast.  It was just a nice stretch to wake up your muscles.

"I eat breakfast and listen to music to calm myself down," continued Ashbaugh.  "I try not to think that we have a meet that day.  I don't need to go fast and just don't think about it.  It helps me to not get stressed out behind the blocks.

"I am just always laughing and if I'm not having fun or too serious, something is wrong and will not swim well," said Ashbaugh.  "I just have to be relaxed and love what I'm doing.  It gives me a better chance to win."    

Last season, Ashbaugh broke a school record in the 200-yard individual medley at the 2014 OAC Swimming and Diving Championships at the University of Akron.  So far, that has been her biggest career highlight.

"My greatest accomplishment as a swimmer so far would be breaking an individual record at BW.  I broke the 200 IM mark at last year at OAC's," said a smiling and happy Ashbaugh.  "I have broken records with my other swimming teammates on relay teams, but this one is very special to me because it's my own."

"All of my goals last year were to break those relay records and we did it, so I was very pleased with last season," said Ashbaugh.  "We had a great senior class."

"My goals for this year as a team is to break the 200-yard freestyle relay record that wasn't broken last year," continued Ashbaugh. "I want to break that one this season.  We did not swim in the 200 free at last year's OAC meet.  That's the goal this year.  I told our team that we need four people."

 

Since the time Ashbaugh was born, she knew almost right away swimming was going to be her passion.  It was at three years old when she began her quest in the water.

"I have been swimming competitively since I was six or seven years old and started to take swimming lessons at the age of three.  My mom swam in high school and she started swimming when she was little too.  She just got me in lessons and I joined a team when I was six or seven and have been swimming year round ever since," said Ashbaugh.

BW Head Swimming Coach Laura Wolff has enjoyed coaching and seeing Ashbaugh grow as an athlete and academically.  She has high expectations this season moving forward for this team. 

"Chandler is an incredibly hard worker, and a very competitive racer – as the season progresses," said Wolff.  "I am excited to see her race as I am sure she will continue to enjoy the success her hard work produces. We look for her to continue to be one of the top swimmers in the OAC in her individual events – and know she will be a big contributor to our team relays again this season.

"Chandler has proven to be strong not only athletically, but most importantly academically," continued Wolff. "She is an extremely hard-working student, and currently holds one of our top GPA's on the team.

"She is studying to be a teacher, and I know her students enjoy having her in their classroom because she puts so much care and dedication into everything that she does. She is a great leader on our team – and sets a wonderful example for others by her actions," said a proud Wolff.

Wolff also is excited about the prospects for the Yellow Jacket women this winter.

"Our women's team had a very strong start and continues to be successful in the pool this season. We have a great group of girls who demonstrate a true balance of talent and the hard work necessary to compete in our conference. Fortunately we have strong leadership in our upperclassmen so our team will continue to head in a positive direction. I am confident that there is a great future ahead for our program and am excited to be here as it develops," said a confident Wolff.

Always in sports, players and teams play through adversity and have tough obstacles to climb.  In this case, Ashbaugh simply just treats the 200- yard butterfly event like any other race, but its tough.    

"The toughest event I have been a part of is the 200 fly, which also happens to be one of my events.  That is the biggest mind struggle I have right now is doing it and doing it well.  It's painful, hard, and its just one of those things I have to be completely relaxed before.  I have to just not be thinking negative and always have positive thoughts.  I take it as just a race and just do it and it will be fine," said Ashbaugh.

Ashbaugh knew right away that she would fall in love with the sport of swimming.  She has been aware that there are ups and downs to the sport, but the competitive edge she brings doesn't stop her from loving the sport.

"It's such a physically demanding sport, yet it is so mental at the same time because I am a very talkative person and I like to talk," said Ashbaugh.  "But, when you're swimming, you can't talk.  You are in your own head mentally and have to be happy with what your doing or you will be miserable."

With her impressive communication skills, she enjoys being a vocal leader in practice and during the meets. 

"I know coach Laura is really big on supporting our team and teammates," said Ashbaugh. "She likes to have everyone standing on the side of the pool and cheering.  I am always behind the lanes and cheering and being as vocal as possible.

"We have team leaders who aren't vocal, but lead by-example," said Ashbaugh.  "I am the type of leader who says you need to this or that, and now this needs to be done. I enjoy being a vocal leader."

The Yellow Jacket swimmers and divers return to the pool this weekend, Friday, December  5 through Sunday, Dec. 7 when they compete at the Blue Devil Invitational in Fredonia, New York at Fredonia University.  Following that meet, the Yellow Jacket swimmers and divers are idle until making their Annual Winter Break Trip to Sarasota, Florida for 10 days in early January.