When it comes to athletic success, few athletes, if any, at John Carroll University have had a more decorated career than senior swimmer Julia Adams.

A senior marketing/logistics major from Erie, Pa., Adams has put together an athletic resume that few DIII athletes could match. As a team captain for the Blue Streaks, it's clear that Adams was, quite simply, born to swim.
           
“My mom taught me how to swim when I was two-years old. She was a swimmer in college … She was the reason why I began swimming,” said Adams. “It was never a forced activity; she simply introduced me to the sport, and I loved it.”

Adams' infatuation with swimming should come as no surprise to those who know her; it runs in the family.

“Swimming is a huge part of my family. All of my cousins swim, my aunts and uncle on my mother's side swam, and a handful of my family members are swimming officials for meets,” said Adams. “My two younger sisters swim as well, one of them (Karyn) swimming for John Carroll with me. The swimming atmosphere was always part of my daily routine.”

After catching on to the sport, Adams began swimming competitively in kindergarten. In the sixth grade, Adams' mom asked her if she wanted to join the local YMCA club team.

The answer was yes.

Eventually, with influence and advice from two older cousins who had already gone through the college application process, Adams decided to take a visit to University Heights, Ohio, to see what John Carroll University had to offer. After visiting the campus and hearing about not only her athletic, but academic, opportunities at JCU, her decision to become a Blue Streak was seemingly a no-brainer.

“I liked the program the Boler School [of Business] offered, which solidified my choice to attend John Carroll,” said Adams. “I loved that I was going to school where I would be able to continue a passion that I had all my life with swimming while knowing that I would be receiving a great education that would benefit me after graduation.

“I couldn't have imagined letting [swimming] go when I had the opportunity to continue it beyond high school.”

While Adams certainly has established her dominance in the pool since coming to JCU, it's also evident that she has had just as much success outside of the pool. With an overall grade point average of 3.42 (including a 3.7 GPA in her major), Adams has made it clear that her academic performance is something else that she's committed to dominating.

“Both [academics and athletics] are important to me. Both are areas I wish to excel in. Time management is key when I have such high goals for myself in both respects,” said Adams. “I can get stressed with the amount of time I need to spend on swimming and school, but I remind myself that in the end, it will be worth it.”

When you consider the amount of effort that Adams puts into both her studies and swimming career, one might be led to wonder how not only she manages the time for both, but how she is so successful in both areas.

“Swimming gives me that break from school, to focus my thoughts on something else, to relieve stress and bring me back to a motivated attitude towards what I need to accomplish,” said the two-time Ohio Athletic Conference Swimmer of the Year. “School gives me the chance to step away from the physical demand of swimming and work towards other goals.”

When Adams really looks back and reflects on her fondest athletic memories as a Blue Streak, there's one unexpected place that comes to the front of her mind: Akron University's Natatorium.

“I like to call the OAC conference meet my happy place. When visualizing, someone says to picture a place where you feel happy. Some people pick a beach, or some field with flowers, but I picture Akron University's Natatorium,” said Adams.

While a collection of swimming pools 45 minutes from JCU may seem like an interesting choice for Adams' “happy place”, she has a perfectly understandable explanation for that answer.

“You may laugh, but that pool has been a place where I have achieved goals in a sport that I have spent my life training for. The atmosphere of that meet is incredible,” said Adams, who owns three different OAC swimming records. “The team comes together for support and motivation. And it's not just my own goals that I want to accomplish there; it's watching my teammates achieve what they have worked for as well.”

As the defending OAC champion in both the 100 and 200 Backstroke events as well as the 200 IM, Adams has come to the realization that, as a senior, she'll have only one last opportunity to defend her titles. And while Adams certainly wishes that her athletic career didn't have to come to a close in just a mere few weeks, she couldn't have asked for a better four years at John Carroll.

“When I chose John Carroll, I knew that I felt like it was a great fit for me, but I never anticipated what I have accomplished at my time here … I am so grateful that I was given the opportunity to continue my swimming career in college and how far I have come from being here these past 3+ years,” said Adams. “Academically, I feel confident in myself and what I have learned. John Carroll has provided me with the education and skills to be able to go to into the real world and feel completely assured that I can succeed.