This week The Clarion sat down with swimmer Dylan Bunch.

Q: When and how did you begin swimming?

A: I started when I was four years old, my sister was a swimmer. My mom was also a swim coach. I grew up around the sport and I followed in my sister’s footsteps.

Q: What event do you do?

A: My main event is the freestyle mile, which is 66 laps.

Q: What has been the highlight of your DU career?

A: My most impressive moment was when I got 12th at the NCAA tournament sophomore year. At that point, I had probably dropped over 40 seconds in the mile. My favorite moment was my freshman year at conference when I won the mile. While I was swimming, it was so painful, but I saw my team jumping up and down for me and it just inspired me. That is how I qualified for NCAAs freshman year, which no freshman has ever done. It’s something I never thought I could do.

Q: Was this year’s conference tournament a success?

A: It was probably the best conference we’ve ever had. Making it to NCAAs was such a foreign thing my freshman year and not many people did it. Now, so many people made it. It’s amazing because every year the team is getting better.

Q: What are your goals for the remainder of this season and for next season?
A: This season, I really want to get top-eight and next season I want to do even better. I’ve always had a goal sheet. It’s actually the same document I’ve been writing on since freshman year. I have planned it every year and I’ve nailed it almost every time. By next year, I want to get on the podium and be top four. That goal is not that out of reach for me. All I have to do is drop another eight seconds or so, which is pretty doable, especially in the mile.

Q: What are your post-graduation plans?

A: The summer right after my graduation is Olympic trials. Olympic trials is the biggest meet in the United States. The top-two in each event go to the Olympics. That is what I’ll be looking to after graduation. Do I think I will make it to the Olympics? Probably not. Either way it will be exciting and I’ll always keep swimming. competitively or not.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add?

A: The program here is getting better every year. We can be a top-10 team in the nation. The team culture is one of the coolest things that I have ever been a part of. It’s like a family.