Kasey Schmidt is a very talented swimmer. Schmidt’s parents started her out young and enrolled her in a swim class at the age of two. When Schmidt was four, she started swimming for the St. Augustine Cyclones. Even though she has attended The Bolles School since she was in pre-kindergarten, she did not start swimming for them until she was nine years old.
Schmidt competes in the 50 m freestyle, 100 m freestyle, 200 m freestyle, 100 m fly and, on rare occasions, the 200 m individual medley.
In the summer between her freshman and sophomore year, Schmidt was the youngest person to make the U.S. Olympic Trial cuts. She won the State title in the 50 m freestyle her sophomore and junior years. Schmidt also holds The Bolles School records for the 50 m freestyle, the 200 m freestyle relay, and the 400 m freestyle relay. In addition to her individual successes, the Lady Bulldogs have won State for the past five years in a row.
“Kasey and her teammates here at Bolles are dedicated to being the best swimmers and the best people they can be,” said head coach Jon Sakovich. “They are not just working to improve their swimming; they are working to improve themselves through swimming.”
Schmidt’s favorite things about being on the swim team are the people she’s met and the life lessons it has taught her. She feels that a lot of the things that she has learned in practice, meets, and competitions over the years will transfer over when she is an adult. Schmidt absolutely loves being a captain. Ever since she was in the eighth grade, Schmidt has had a speech prepared for the day that she might get the chance to fulfill this role.
“Kasey is a great leader,” Coach Sakovich said. “She is not afraid to help teammates in need, but is also not afraid to let them know when they are being a distraction and need to refocus. Kasey encourages her teammates during practices, and seems to sense when a fellow swimmer really needs that extra push to get them through a tough set.”
This past October, Schmidt committed to swim at the University of Virginia. On the way home from her last recruiting trip, Schmidt called the coaches at UVA from the airport in Atlanta and committed right then and there; she could not wait until she got home.
Coach Sam Bush is one of the main reasons that Schmidt chose to attend UVA. Back in 2014 when Schmidt swam at the U.S. Olympic Trial Meet, a fellow swimmer introduced her to Coach Bush, who was then coaching at Auburn University. Coach Bush told Schmidt right away that he did not care what college he ended up at, he was going to recruit her. On September 1st of Schmidt’s junior year, the first email she found in her inbox was from Coach Bush.
In addition to Coach Bush’s persistence, Schmidt also clicked with the girls on the UVA swim team. She described the whole 
team as being down to earth and seemed as though they are a rising program in the NCAA. Schmidt likes that the UVA girl’s team is really ambitious. She is planning on possibly majoring in biological science.
“As an elite athlete, Kasey contributes to the recognition of our swim program with her top-ranked swims,” Coach Sakovich said. “She scores points for us at all swim meets, she represents our program with the utmost respect and sense of pride, and she is a leader for our younger swimmers. She also leads by example through her work ethic and dedication to the sport of swimming and her ability to focus on improving her swimming each day.”
Schmidt really hopes that she can make the U.S. National Junior Team, a youth team which will represent the U.S. in an international meet. Schmidt has been really close to making the team the past couple of years, so she is really working hard to make that goal a reality.
“I am really grateful for everything that my parents, coaches, and The Bolles School have done for me,” Schmidt said. “I can’t wait to go to college!”
My In The Game Moment
“My junior year, I broke 23 seconds in the 50 m freestyle for the first time. I was the first Bolles girl to ever do it, so that was really exciting! I got the record. It was definitely one of the coolest moments ever. I also won State that year. My team won State that year too, and we finished second in the National rankings.”
My Biggest Fans
“My family is super supportive. My mom literally comes to every single meet that I swim. She was a team mom this year at Bolles. She is awesome, I love her like crazy. My dad travels a lot for work, but he always makes sure he is at the big meets that I have. He has flown from Brazil to California to watch me swim for three days, only to have to leave again for Mexico or something.”
Most People Don’t Know…
“Most people don’t know that I was bit by a shark when I was nine years old while surfing behind my house. A lot of people look at the scar on my leg and think I had surgery or something. I had to get hundreds of stitches which left a big scar that takes up a lot of my right thigh.”
North Florida/ Special Feature/ February 2015
Kasey Schmidt
The Bolles School
Jacksonville, Florida
JESSICA BABCOCK
University of Virginia Commit Aims to Make U.S. National Junior Team
