Scott Swanson
Sweet Home swimmer Mia Davis has signed a letter of intent to swim at the College of Idaho.
Davis, a senior, said she determined “around this time last year” that she wanted to swim in college, after a period of indecision.
“In my sophomore year I didn’t like swimming and I was dead set against swimming in college,” said Davis, who attends East Linn Christian Academy but competes for Sweet Home because ELCA doesn’t offer swimming. “Then I got foot surgery last year, so I was out of the water for a few months. That just sparked something in me. If I can’t make it for three months without swimming, how can I make it four years of college?”
Davis, who said she’s been a swimmer since she was 6, is the second Husky senior to sign with a college program this year, following Lauren Yon, who will swim for Ore-gon State University.
Her older sister Lucia Davis is a freshman at Boise State, located 30 minutes way from Caldwell, where the College of Idaho is based. Another freshman from Sweet Home, Jessica Coats, swims for Wagner College in New York City.
Coach Doug Peargin said he couldn’t recall a time when the Huskies had more swimmers who will be competing at the college level, three of them at Division I schools. He said he expected Mia Davis to do well.
“She’s plenty capable of competing at that level,” Peargin said. “She’s going to do fine in that program. She’s a hard worker – smart and organized.”
College of Idaho is an NAIA school that competes against Oregon programs such as Willamette University and Pacific University. The Yotes are ranked sixth in the NAIA this year, entering the postseason. Their roster includes a number of Oregon swimmers, one of them junior Maddy Kelly of Lebanon.
“I had heard of a school that a couple of my swimming friends from other schools, that we’ve competed against, attended,” Mia Davis said. “I looked into the program and it seemed very fitting, so I contacted the coach and he called me back immediately. That’s how I found them.”
She said Coach Jim Everett has told her she will likely focus on the mile (1650-yard) Freestyle, the 500 Freestyle and the 200 Butterfly, as well as swim on relay teams.
Davis said she’d like to study anatomy and human performance.
“It was something that I felt like God was telling me to do as well,” she said of the way things played out. “I just looked into it. I’m so thankful it worked out.”