Juneau-Douglas High School standout swimmer Mia Ruffin is the latest Juneau student-athlete to join the college ranks.
On May 1, Ruffin signed a national letter of intent to swim at Mount St. Mary’s University, a private Catholic school in rural Maryland. The Mountaineers are affiliated with the NCAA Division I Northeast Conference (NEC).
The Crimson Bear caught the attention of the Mountaineers coaching staff in March at the 2017 Speedo Senior Sectional Meet in Federal Way, Washington.
In November, Ruffin helped the Crimson Bears girls finish second at the 2016 ASAA/First Natinal Bank Alaska Swim &Dive State Championships. Finishing first in the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke, Ruffin was the only JDHS swimmer to win any individual state championships last season.
There are currently three Juneau-bred swimmers competing collegiately: Dakota Isaak at Boise State University, Ciera Kelly at Washington State University and Kenny Fox at Denison University.
Earlier this year, JDHS’ Aidan Seid signed with Occidental College.
In college, Ruffins says her focus will be on the breaststroke and butterfly — her two favorite strokes.
The Empire asked her six questions at the Dimond Park Aquatic Center recently about the big signing. Responses have been edited for clarity.
Juneau Empire: How has the process been of getting recruited by a Division I school?
Mia Ruffin: It’s been kind of hectic because you have a bunch of colleges calling you and contacting you and wanting to send you down there for a recruit trip. I’m really indecisive when making decisions so it took me a really long time to decide what college I wanted to go to because I had four options.
JE: Maryland isn’t too far away from home for you?
Ruffin: Northeastern College is in Boston and Wagner (College) is in New York, so my top three options were all on the East Coast, so I was totally OK with it.
JE: How much do you love being in the water and how have you nurtured a love for swimming?
Ruffin: Honestly, when I was a sophomore, I wasn’t into swimming at all. I kind of quit swimming for a while and then I started junior year swimming with the high school. My high school coach Seth (Cayce) showed that he really cared about me and saw that I could go pretty far in swimming. It just got me really motivated and made me want to start trying really hard. … I love the aspect of competing against people and I love … getting to travel for swimming. It’s definitely a privilege I’m very thankful for.
JE: Besides your coaches, are there other supporters that were proud of you when you signed?
Ruffin: (Volunteer coach) Jenna Rutecki helped me a lot. … We would write pros and cons of each college and kind of figure it that way. … My mom really helped me. She just said wherever I want to go, she’ll support me. My friend Burgen (Davis), he’s kind of my training buddy — well, not necessarily because he’s a lot faster than me because he’s a boy and I’m a girl (laughs) —but we train a lot together and he really helps me stay motivated for swimming.
JE: Do you ever wonder what you’d do with all that time you weren’t in the water because it is a big commitment (if you didn’t swim)?
Ruffin: I just took a week off two weeks ago and I literally didn’t know what to do because I’m at the pool twice a day: before school and after school. I didn’t know what to do. I just had a lot of time to focus on school though which is great but it’s just weird not having that part of my routine.
• Contact sports reporter Nolin Ainsworth at 523-2272 or nolin.ainsworth@juneauempire.com.
