Using time swimmingly
Photos by Mark Campbell and Evan Krape February 22, 2019
UD’s Kyle Weston manages time as swimmer, biology student
“People underestimate how much time is in a day.”
— Kyle Weston
Kyle Weston packs a lot into his average day and week. He is a University of Delaware swimmer. A Dean's List student, he is on track to graduate in June with a degree in biology. He is a Blue Hen Ambassador, so he helps recruit future students by giving campus tours. He helps alumni stay connected by serving as a student alumni ambassador.
“It really comes down to being organized and determined about what you want to accomplish,” Weston said. “If you truly want to reach your goals, you have to find a way to set priorities and do everything in your power to achieve them.”
Weston has done that, and then some during his time at UD.
“I’ve been told, ‘you can’t do that’ or ‘there’s no way you can do all of this’ so much,” Weston said. “It really drives it. It motivates me because I know I’m determined enough to accomplish something that’s never been done before.”
Growing up in Newark, Weston has been on Delaware’s campus for nearly the past 15 years. He went to swim meets, football games and ran around The Green as a youngster.
“This place has been such a huge part of my life,” Weston said. “The memories and relationships that I have from here will be with me forever.”
Beyond swimming for UD and the other activities on campus, Weston makes time to coach young swimmers at the Western Family YMCA in Pike Creek, Delaware. That is where Weston developed as a swimmer.
“It’s not easy, but these are all things that I’m passionate about and want to accomplish,” Weston said. “I love this school. I’ll always love sharing my pride of being a part of this campus and I’ll always be passionate about impacting lives through coaching or any other method that I can reach young kids.”
Juggling his schedule hasn’t been easy, but Weston knows that he has the support of so many around him that helped him get to that point.
“One thing about being at UD is that you have so many resources and so many people here trying to help you reach your goals,” Weston said. “If you do your research and do your work, people will help you achieve what you want to achieve, no matter how difficult it may seem.”
Lou Becht is the academic counselor for Student-Athlete Services.
“Kyle’s work ethic to succeed and ability to stay organized has really helped him maneuver around a really difficult schedule, both academically and athletically,” Becht said. “Every time we met, he was extremely well-informed, well-organized and knew what he had to do in order to accomplish what he wanted to accomplish. To compete athletically in a demanding sport and to succeed in a demanding major, it really speaks to the type of person Kyle is.”
A former Blue Hen assistant coach, Pablo Marmolejo recruited Weston for Delaware. After spending the last few years coaching a club team in the area, Marmolejo returned to UD as head coach last fall for the start of the 2018-19 season.
“As a coach, your top priority and the reason we do what we do for a living is to see the impact you can have on these kids,” Marmolejo said. “I had the pleasure of recruiting Kyle and now to come in for his final year and to see the type of man he’s become. This is what it’s all about. We’re here to try and help these kids reach their fullest potential and Kyle has done that and then some.”
Weston has been a critical part of the establishment of a new culture within the swimming and diving program.
“Kyle has been an instrumental part of what we’re trying to build here,” Marmolejo said. “As a coach, you’re trying to build your program on high character and student-athletes who are determined to make an impact. Kyle is every bit of that and he’s exactly the type of student-athletes that we need in this program.”
Weston and his teammates competed in the Colonial Athletic Association championships, Feb. 20-23, in Christiansburg, Virginia. This will be the final time that Weston puts on the Delaware swim cap. But if one thing is clear, it will never be the last time that he represents UD.
“No matter where I am located,” Weston said, “this place will always be special to me.”
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