One Last Roar: Naomi Brown, Swimming and Diving

"One Last Roar" is a series that will recognize the accomplishments of the senior student-athletes at Mount Holyoke College graduating during the 2020-21 academic year. From now until May, read about our senior student-athletes as they reflect on their careers as members of Lyons Nation. Make sure to check out Mount Holyoke College Athletics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to see photos of their top memories with their teammates over the past four years.

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Senior Naomi Brown (Bloomington, Ind.), a Psychology and Education major and swimming and diving student-athlete at Mount Holyoke College, will graduate at the completion of the Spring 2021 semester.

As a four-year member and captain of the swimming and diving team, Brown competed in the distance free, butterfly and individual medley. She qualified for the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championships three years in a row. At the 2018 NEWMAC Championships, Brown placed in the top-20 in both the 100 and 200 butterfly as just a first-year. Brown also serves as the Vice President of the Class of 2021.

From Head Mount Holyoke Swimming and Diving Coach, Dave Allen:

"Naomi has been a great team member over her four years. She has grown as an individual and team leader. She has stepped up especially over the last year as a captain. This has been a challenging year and she has been a great leader. As we returned to campus this semester, Naomi decided it was best for her to stay remote, although she has stayed very active with the team and really stepped up to lead our remote practices, which coincide with our in-person practices. It has been fun to work with Naomi over her four years and we will miss her next season!"

More about Naomi...

Overall, share a few sentences about your time as a student-athlete at Mount Holyoke College. How has your experience as a student-athlete helped develop you into the person you are today?

My time as a student-athlete has taught me so much about myself and how to push myself in every aspect of my life. From the pool to the weight room to the classroom, I always felt supported by my teammates, coaches, and the athletic department as a whole. In my time as a student-athlete, I was given the opportunity to grow into the best version of myself, and encouraged to be self-reflective, open to change, and most importantly how to flex to meet the many different personalities and leadership styles of my teammates.

What were some of your favorite memories as a member of your team?

I have so many favorite memories with my team but the one that immediately comes to mind is our most recent training trip in January 2020. A training trip is always an amazing opportunity to push ourselves as athletes and as a team, but that trip in particular Dave, our head coach, spent time focusing on team growth in a unique way. We did "deep sheet" talks which were a list of questions that Dave gave us to get to know each other better, and I still cherish the conversations that those questions started in the van home from practice and over meals between practices. We also ended the trip with a gratitude sunrise walk, building off of our team tradition of Thankful Thursday. I am forever grateful for the memories made on the training trip and the bonds I created with my teammates in between practices and over laughs on car rides and between sets.

What are your plans following graduation?

After graduation, I'm hoping to teach at an elementary school in some capacity. I will graduate from Mount Holyoke with my license in elementary education in Massachusetts and I hope to bring what I learned in my time as a student-athlete at Mount Holyoke into my future classrooms and create spaces of transformative education.

Who have been some of your biggest supporters during your time at Mount Holyoke College? This can be anyone (i.e. family, friends, professors, coaches, etc.)

I have been so blessed to have the support that I have had during my time at Mount Holyoke. My coaches and teammates always encourage me to push outside of my comfort zone in every way. I am especially thankful for the support that Dave has given both in and out of the pool, and his involvement in shaping me into the person I am today.

I also have had the most amazing teammates, who are the best support network, friends, study partners, and 200-fly cheer squad I could ever ask for. I am especially thankful for my lane buddies over the years at Mount Holyoke who always pushed me to my limits in practice, and the Swive Class of 2021 which has supported me immensely throughout my college experience.

The education licensure team at Mount Holyoke especially Sarah Frenette and Jennifer Jacoby have been instrumental in my educational experience and so encouraging of me pushing myself in the classroom and as a future educator.

What is your favorite Mount Holyoke tradition?

My absolute favorite Mount Holyoke tradition is Mountain Day. Swive takes the day off of practice and hikes the longer 6-mile hike up to the top of Mount Holyoke as a team. This normally occurs within the first few weeks of the season and every year it serves as a bonding opportunity for our first years and always provides lots of laughs and great memories. I'll never forget Dave's near-death experience on that hike my first year, and how good the ice cream tastes at the top after such a long hike.

Any words of advice you have for the future student-athletes of Mount Holyoke College?

Be open to change, because being a student-athlete will change you. Lean on your coaches, teammates, ATs, classmates, and professors because they're here to support you. And enjoy every moment, yes even that horrible morning practice or that weights workout you dread, because you will never get that time back! And most importantly Mount Holyoke Forever Shall Be!