By: Matt Florjancic, ‘07
BEREA, Ohio – When Tia Reed enrolled at Baldwin Wallace University, she did so as a two-sport athlete. However, Reed was unsure if that would continue based on her high-school swimming career.
After not having the best experience in high school, Reed nearly walked away from swimming, but instead, gave the sport one more chance. What she found at BW was a welcoming culture where BW swimming and diving coach Laura Demaline and teammates alike want everyone to reach their full potential. Since walking into that environment, Reed has rediscovered her love for swimming and become a multi-time Ohio Athletic Conference Champion while pursuing a degree in biology.
“I wasn’t really sure coming out of high school if I wanted to swim or not because my high school team was a little iffy, but I got in contact with Coach Laura, and then, I realized that the atmosphere and the environment was what I’ve been looking for in a team since I’ve started swimming,” Reed said. “That really drew me here.
“In high school, I peaked. I want to say I peaked my sophomore year of high school. Those were my fastest times, and then, ever since that, junior or senior year, I would work as hard, if not harder, and then, just do even worse. My coach wasn’t the best in high school. Coming here, Coach Laura only wants the best from you. She just wants you to succeed, and she did it in a fun atmosphere, so it didn’t really feel like there was a lot of pressure, and I think that really helped a lot. I’ve only improved since then, and hopefully, we’ll improve some more.”
Supportive Environment
The supportive environment Reed found at Baldwin Wallace was “extremely important” in her decision-making process.
Reed’s father, Rodell, served as a civil engineer in the United States Air Force, which meant that she lived in many different places throughout her childhood, including two stints in Germany. She wanted a college that allowed her to cultivate her talents and found that culture at BW.
“One of the top reasons I look into a school is: ‘How do I feel like I’m going to be supported?’” Reed said. “Growing up, we moved around a lot. Being far from home wasn’t really an issue for me. It was more so I won’t be able to rely on my parents every single day.
“They might be a phone call away, but you can’t really do much from a phone call. Knowing that there’s adults here that I trust, that I can go to no matter what the situation was, really just comforted me a little bit more and set it in stone.”
Early Success
Reed earned her first varsity letter in the pandemic-shortened 2021 season, and then, started to hit her stride as a sophomore within the positive atmosphere at Baldwin Wallace.
Reed set then-career-best times in the 100-yard (1:07.36) and 200-yard (2:29.99) breaststroke events at the OAC Championships. She won the 100-yard OAC Championship by 0.22 seconds and earned All-OAC honors in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke, as well as with the 400-yard medley relay team.
“It was unreal,” Reed recalled. “I think seeing everybody at the end of the block really, really helped. Looking up and seeing my time, and then, the coaches’ faces, and then, my parents’ faces in the stands, it was just everything I worked so hard for paid off, and it was just an indescribable feeling.”
Back-to-Back
At any level of athletics, winning a championship takes plenty of work. Coming back and defending it brings with it added attention as other athletes want to get to that same level Reed achieved as a sophomore.
However, Reed dealt with the increased competition and literally doubled down on her OAC Championship victories in 2023. Reed trimmed nearly one full second off of her time in the 100-yard breaststroke event and more than two seconds from her previous career low in the 200-yard race to win the OAC Championship in both events.
“It is awesome,” Reed said. “Surreal, I think, coming from really just being middle of a pack to the top is just…I never thought it would happen. I never thought I’d be as fast as I am now. It’s just very surreal.”
Unsurprising Results
Reed’s self-described ability to “just put my head down and work” is the main reason she has improved on her times each season, twice won the 100-yard breaststroke OAC Championship and a third league title in the 200-yard event last year.
Those who see Reed hone her skills every day were not surprised by the results.
“Tia is freaking competitive,” Demaline said. “I said it her freshman year, I said her sophomore year, and I said again last year. On that last 25 of the 200 breaststroke, if she hits the wall first, she’s going to win the race.
“She won’t give up, and that’s something to have a swimmer that you know can count on. We have that confidence in her that she is going to race, and she’s going to dig deep and find it. Ultimately, when she was conference champion in 200 breaststroke her sophomore year, and then, 100 and 200 breaststroke last year, I know she has high goals for this year as a senior. It’s kind of cool to see somebody develop in their events, continue to get faster each year.”
Leadership By Example
In addition to being a standout competitor, Reed has become a leader for the Yellow Jackets.
While other captains have more outgoing personalities, Reed has found her own niche and developed a good rapport with her teammates through what Coach Demaline describes as “one-on-one leadership.”
“Tia does a nice job of identifying if somebody is struggling and being able to pull them aside and help give them some words of encouragement because she has a challenging class load,” Demaline said.
“She works almost 20 hours a week outside of swimming and school. Her family is in Iowa. They lived in South Carolina when she first got here, moved to Iowa her freshman year, so she’s far away from home. Really, a lot of things that our younger swimmers are encountering, she has had to overcome.
“She was a dual-sport athlete her freshman year. She played lacrosse as well. She can hit on a lot of different subject areas, and so, I think she does a really nice job again with those one-on-one conversations and encouragement.”
More Than Just an Athlete
Reed came to Baldwin Wallace not just to pursue her goals in lacrosse and swimming, but also, to work toward a degree in biology.
During the recruiting process, Reed made sure to speak with biology professors in addition to members of the swimming and diving team. Reed felt the professors gave her “good insight” on what she could do with her degree and “how I could accomplish the goals I have in my life,” which include post-graduate studies and a career in genetic counselling.
“Since high school, I’ve always wanted to do something with genetics,” Reed said. “I thought I’d want to do research and just sit in the lab all day, not talk to people or anything and chill out. As I grew up and matured, I realized that I like interacting with people. I liked seeing the faces of the people I’m helping, and so, I did a little bit more research, and then, I stumbled across genetic counseling.
“It’s a newer field. It’s about 50 years old. Basically, if there’s something wrong with a patient and the doctors can’t really figure out what’s going on, we’ll go back through their genetics, whether it’s family history or personal history, just back a couple of generations to see if there’s something different that might be causing their symptoms, and then, see if there’s any treatments or cures for that.”
Next Steps
Following her graduation from Baldwin Wallace, Reed will pursue post-graduate work at either Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, the Medical University of South Carolina or the University of Alabama-Birmingham.
As Reed builds out her future plans, she does so feeling well-prepared from her time at BW.
“They are very rigorous,” Reed said of BW’s coursework. “They want you to succeed and do well academically while also retaining the information, so you’re just not spit-balling info back on a test. They want you to really understand the reason why you’re learning what you’re learning.
“They do a really good job trying to put you out there and not really force you to get internships or anything like that, but outside experience, whether it’s just observation or researching with any of the faculty members that you have. The professors really care about you, and they try to develop a personal relationship with you just so they know where you’re at and you know where they’re at. It’s very community based.”
Finishing Strong
Before Reed turns her focus on post-BW pursuits, there is the matter of competing in her final Ohio Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships next week at the Ocasek Natatorium at The University of Akron.
There, she will try to become a three-time champion in the 100-yard breaststroke, as well as a two-time titleholder in the 200-yard breaststroke. Also, Reed will compete in several other events.
“I don’t think I think about it,” Reed said of competing in multiple events at various distances. “I just rely on my training and trust that I’ve been properly prepared and my body knows what it’s doing. I just break the race up into little chunks, so it makes it easier, I guess.
“It’s just not really more pressure, but it’s a little bit more on my shoulders knowing that there’s people from other teams that are coming after that, too, and I just have one more chance to end it. Hard work, focus, and just put my head down and work.”