Picking only one individual to represent Type One’s first Senior Spotlight of the year was not as challenging as it may appear.   Ever since Kent Haeffner began attending Pine Crest in 2010, he has worked hard in the classroom while dedicating his time before and after school to swimming.  His success has paid him great dividends, as Kent is one of Pine Crest’s exemplary students.

Kent spoke about his passion for swimming and how he will continue his love for the sport in college. “Swimming means a lot to me. It’s a way for me to keep in shape, let my mind go to different places…it’s a nice place for me to clear my head ,” said Kent.

What better way for this shining student-athlete to continue swimming than at Harvard? Many Ivy League schools sought Kent out, but he decided that joining the Crimson was the best fit for him. As Coach Jay Fitzgerald, the Program Director of Swimming and Diving at PC, and even Kent himself noted, it is his drive and sense of teamwork that truly make him a winner in the swimming pool.

Knowing Kent since he was only seven years old in Pine Crest’s “Learn to Swim Program”, Coach Fitzgerald has seen Kent grow not only as a swimmer, but also as a person.  “Kent stayed with it the whole entire way, and he has set himself goals,” Coach Jay said. “It is not the coach, it’s not the parents, it’s the athletes. If you want to achieve greatness and you want to be someone who is world ranked, you have to want that more than anyone else.”

Coach Jay added that at last summer’s US 18 National championships, Kent qualified for the world championship trials, “which less than 1% of all swimmers are able to accomplish!”  What stands out the most about Kent are his actions towards other members of the swim team. Coach Jay commented on Kent’s persona, saying, “As he has been successful, sometimes athletes tend to forget some of the other people, that is not Kent. Kent celebrates other peoples’ success as much if not more than he celebrates his own.”

Kent continues to be a great team member of the PC Swim team and is extremely confident in his abilities. While he enjoys the competition, Kent was humble enough to admit that he still experiences the same nerves as everyone else when swimming. Kent commented, “You have to calm the nerves down. You have to think about all the work you’ve put in, all the early mornings you’ve been there at 6 am.” As Coach Jay says,  “Kent always goes back to what he’s done and where he has been, and he takes confidence in that.”

Kent Haeffner has truly worked his way to his success, and it will be exciting to see what is in store for him in the years to come.