Carli Quinlan, junior nursing student, was named the Great Northeast Atlantic Conference (GNAC) Swimmer of the Year for the second year in a row on February 9 after competing in a three-day competition.
Quinlan competed in a three-day GNAC competition at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass. from February 7-9. Ultimately, she took gold in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle, and 100 butterfly. Quinlan set her own personal best after beating her previous times. She and her teammates also won four relays at the competition, two of which were 200 and 400 freestyle relays; the other two were 400 and 800 freestyle relays.
Janard Jones, the assistant commissioner of GNAC, said in an email to The Voice that they determine who gets the award by calculating who has the highest accumulation points at the GNAC swim competitions.
Quinlan started her swimming journey at three years old. By eighth grade, Quinlan picked up more practice. When she entered high school, Quinlan said she got “pretty good pretty quickly.”
“I started to really like it and take it seriously sophomore year,” said Quinlan. Senior year was when Quinlan made the decision to swim in college when she was recruited by Simmons.
Since her freshman year, Quinlan has been coming home from her swim season with a title, being awarded Rookie of the Year her freshman year and her first GNAC Swimmer of the Year last year. Quinlan says she has felt physically stronger than her previous years but has improved her mental strength more.
Simmons’ swimming and diving coach Nathalie Giraldi said in an email to the Voice that Quinlan’s training and dedication is “exceptional.”
“When I was really, really young, I was good at backstroke. Now, [I am] awful at it. In high school, I was a sprint[er], free[style] and breaststroker. And since being here, sprint[er], free[style] and [butter]fly,” said Quinlan.
“I felt more confident behind the blocks that I have in the past, and it was easier for me to push through a race even when I felt tired and sore,” says Quinlan.
Quinlan’s plan is to swim next year as she “loves the atmosphere and competing in college.” Her goal is to make the NCAA competition, which takes the top 50 swimmers in each event out of all the Division III schools in the country.
Carli wasn’t the only Quinlan swimming for Simmons; alumna Katelyn Quinlan ‘24, was co-captain of the swim team from 2023-2024.
“It was the whole wanting to be on the team with [Katelyn Quinlan] and I knew that Mike [Prout] was a great coach,” said Quinlan. “Since I got here, I definitely improved a lot. Mike and Nathalie [Giraldi] are both really good.”
“Her strong work ethic and commitment to excellence have helped her set records year over year at both the conference level and at the Simmons pool,” said Giraldi. “Being recognized as the GNAC Swimmer of the Year for the second year in a row is a well-deserved honor, and I couldn’t be prouder to see her hard work pay off.”
