By Clara Moffitt
We all dream of being the best in the country at something. Tempe Prep Senior David Hudson has achieved it with swimming!
David has had an amazing senior year of swim accolades. First, he was named USA Swimming All-American Scholastic Swimmer. He earned the honor by meeting Junior National Qualifying times in both the 100-meter and 200-meter butterfly, while also maintaining a grade point average of over 3.5 during his junior year. David is one of only 520 high school swimmers from across the U.S. on the Men’s Scholastic All-America Team.
“This achievement means a lot to me,” David says. “It is a national-level recognition that recognizes both my life as an athlete and a student. Achieving goals like this make the work worthwhile and the future exciting.”
Along with swimming for Tempe Prep, David also swims with the Scottsdale Aquatics Club. David spends approximately 20 hours per week in the water or doing dry land conditioning as he works to achieve a spot on a college swimming team. He only started swimming competitively as a Freshman, so that makes this achievement quite remarkable!
David explains, “Freshman year I decided to try swimming competitively. This was new for me and not only was I competitive, but it felt amazing. I enjoyed the culture and feeling of togetherness with your teammates, even though training is 100 percent independent. Discipline became a part of life. I no longer depend on someone else for things I know I can do, I just do it. Without discipline, a swimmer cannot be successful.”
Competing in the AIA State Championships, David’s relay team, which also included Tempe Prep senior Jeffrey Snoddy, took two first-place gold medals in both the freestyle relay and the medley relay (David swam butterfly). David also received second place medals at the State Championships in 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard freestyle.
Just this week, David competed in the Speedo Junior Championships in Texas, where he met with remarkable success. With David swimming butterfly, the 400-yard medley relay team took a first place in the western region. The 200-yard medley relay team took fifth place. And, in his signature 200-yard butterfly stroke, with a new best time of 1:49.34, David took tenth place. He also had best times in two other events during the week.
David was one of many great swims for the Scottsdale Aquatics Club where the men’s team and the overall team both earned the highest point total, winning first place in the U.S.
What’s next for David? Math is his favorite academic subject and he has submitted several college applications to study engineering at a variety of excellent colleges around the county. And he is talking to college swim coaches. “I have travelled to new places and met amazing athletes and coaches; all have had an impact on my life. I quickly realized I wanted to swim through college and then further. Swimming has defined my life goals. I now look to the future, and work to make it a reality with no one to stop me but me.”