Dr. Phillips' Emily Kliewer defines student-athlete

ORLANDO — For all her individual accomplishments, and there are a lot of them, what excites Emily Kliewer the most about the FHSAA Swimming & Diving Championships Nov. 7 is how her relay teams have done and could do.

And, with a little context, that makes sense. 

Kliewer became a state champion as a sophomore, when her 200-yard relay team shattered a school record dating back to 1998, with an All-American time of 1:36.62. 

As a senior, she is now the anchor on the Panthers’ 200- and 400-yard relay teams, and Kliewer knows there’s nothing quite like the team dynamic when you’re going for gold.

“The relays are so much better,” Kliewer said with a smile. “Swimming by yourself is fun and all, but when you swim on the relay team, it’s so great.”

For coach Natalie Nickson, in her first year as the program’s head coach after several seasons as an assistant, having a senior leader who places such an emphasis on the team has been quite the blessing.

“The girls follow her — they will follow her to the end of the world,” Nickson said of Kliewer’s leadership. “You can’t ask for more from a captain.”

Kliewer, who just last week placed first in the 100-yard butterfly, 200-yard IM and 400-yard relay at the district meet, isn’t only dominating in the pool. The senior is the reigning Scholar-Athlete of the Year at Dr. Phillips from the 2013-14 school year and holds a 4.94 GPA while managing six Advanced Placement courses.

Nickson, whose practice schedule for the Panthers includes two practices a week at 5 a.m. before class and practice every day in the afternoon, said Kliewer is a model citizen for her other athletes.

“They have to learn how to multitask; they have to learn how to manage their time,” Nickson said. “Emily is one of those ones who has no issues doing it. She just sets a great example and she sets the bar very high for all of the younger kids to look at.”

Kliewer’s success in the pool and in the classroom hasn’t gone unnoticed. 

She has verbally committed to swim for the University of Idaho, where she plans to study engineering, and will make it official when she signs a National Letter of Intent Nov. 12.

Although she isn’t looking too far ahead, what with one last chance at an individual trip to the podium at states just a week away, the talented senior does say she is very excited about her future at the college level under Vandals coach Mark Sowa.

“All of my relatives live in the Northwest, so I’d get to see my family, and (Idaho) has good academics,” Kliewer said of her college choice.

Swimming competitively since she was 5 years old, Kliewer said she has come a long way since her days as a nervous freshman at the state meet and credits seniors who have gone before her, such as Allie Magrino, Cindy Cheng and Angela Algee — teammates on that gold medal relay team from 2012.

“I think I’ve come a long way — I remember being a freshman, and it (the state meet) was so scary, and I didn’t know what to do,” said recalled.

Magrino, who graduated from DP in 2014, is already on the team at Idaho and will provide a familiar face for her fellow Panther when Kliewer arrives on campus.

In the meantime, Kliewer — who placed fourth in the state in 2013 in the 100-yard butterfly and is a nine-time regional champion — has her sights on new heights for her final performance as a prep swimmer.

“Her work ethic is second to none — she is an unbelievably hard worker,” Nickson said. “So, I would love to see her on the podium this year, and I really think she has a great shot in both the 200 IM and 100 fly. She’s put in the work, and she loves to race.”

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].