This is the seventh of a season-long series that will feature updates on WVU swimming and diving alumni, as well as getting to know members of the current team.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Senior swimmer Hayley Kidd has many different roles in her final season as a Mountaineer, including scholar athlete, team leader, aspiring physical therapist and volunteer for the Alzheimer’s Association.

The Mechanicsburg, Pa., native was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Swimming & Diving First Team last season, as well as being named to the Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll, the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the Dean’s List.

“I think I’ve developed really good time-management skills. In high school I took a lot of honors and Advance Placement courses, so when I came to college I was prepared,” said Kidd on balancing time in school with time in the pool. “I also made sure to spread out my classes over the four years. My advisors helped me as well. They told me exactly what to take and made sure I had enough in my schedule at the end so I wouldn’t have to cram things together.”

With only two seniors on this year’s women’s team, Kidd also sees herself in a leadership role.

“We definitely have (taken on a leadership role), we get some help from the junior class as well because there’s only two of us,” said Kidd. “We’ve been doing a lot when we realized that we needed to step up because we wanted the team to get closer. I think it’s going well.”

In the second season in the Big 12 for the Mountaineers, the exercise physiology major believes that this team has the ability to succeed despite the team’s youth.

“Individually, we look very strong. Certain events and certain swimmers are going to finish very well,“ explained Kidd. “As a team, we are just so young. Realistically, we want to finish really strong in the Big 12, so we just need to focus on what we are doing, because we can’t affect how TCU and Texas are doing.”

Even with her final season as a Mountaineer just getting underway, Kidd is ready to enter her post-graduate life as an aspiring physical therapist.

“I just submitted my applications to grad school. I applied here and Kentucky. They’re my two top choices. I want to work in physical therapy, so I’m going for the doctorate program,” said Kidd. “I’m looking to specialize in working with geriatrics, but athletes could be fun to work with too because I have so much in common with them.”

Between classes, grad school aspirations and being a leader for the Mountaineers, Kidd also finds time to do amazing work for the Alzheimer’s Association, volunteering her time and efforts to a great cause.

I volunteer with them every Friday. I’ve been helping out since May and we just had our annual walk this past Saturday,” elaborated Kidd on her relationship with the Alzheimer’s Association. “The women’s team volunteered and the event went really well!”

Kidd and the rest of the swim team will be in action at the West Virginia State Games in Morgantown, W. Va. on October 11-12.

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