Nicole Pinter is a student journalist at the Walter Cronkite School at Arizona State University assigned to cover the Chaparral swimming team.

Junior National Team member Ashley Strouse announced her verbal commitment to Northwestern University on Monday, Oct. 21 following her weekend visit to campus. Strouse, a junior at Chaparral High School, will look to join the swim team in the fall of 2021. She also took official visits to the University of Virginia, University of Texas-Austin, and Stanford University, but knew she was home the minute she stepped on Northwestern’s campus.

“It was everything I was looking for,” Strouse said. “I had a few options and took three (official visits) in a row, and then I took two weeks off, and then I went to Northwestern. So, I had a break, and I had made a list of all the pros and cons of all the other schools, and I didn’t even need to write down a list (for Northwestern).”

A weight was lifted off her shoulders when she committed to swim at the next level. Her coach at Chaparral, Richard Krzyzanowski, sees no reason she can’t make noise immediately. Not just at Northwestern and in the Big Ten, but in the NCAA as well. 

“She’s going to be the top girl on that campus,” Krzyzanowski said. “Not trying to sell Northwestern short at all, it’s just she’s coming in with every accolade you can think of, and she’s not going to let anyone down.”

Back in May 2019, SwimSwam released a “Way Too Early NCAA Recruit Ranks: Girls High School Class of 2021” article and ranked Strouse as the fifth-best recruit in the country. Strouse will look to make an immediate impact when she joins the Wildcats.

According to SwimSwam, Strouse “would’ve been top 8 at 2019 Big Tens in the 200, 500, and 1650 free; events in which Northwestern only scored two points total.” She was the Division I state champion in both the 500-yard freestyle and 200-yard freestyle, breaking the state record with a time of 1:45.44 in the 200. She also anchored the state champion 200-yard freestyle relay and led off the state champion 400-yard freestyle relay. Strouse was also named the “Female Swimmer of the Year” at last year's azcentral Sports Awards, hosted by The Arizona Republic.

Teammate and fellow junior standout Riley Courtney couldn’t be more proud of her friend, someone who she has known since the two were 7 years old.

“She has worked so hard for so long,” Courtney said. “She inspires a lot of people to be the best that they can be. She makes everyone feel like they can make a difference on the team.” 

But how did Strouse, a Division I college commit before the end of her junior season, get here? 

She began swimming around the age of 5 or 6 recreationally. She began competing and fell in love with it. Her parents signed her up for the Scottsdale Aquatic Club when she was 7. There, she became good friends with several of her current Chaparral teammates who are also juniors: Courtney and Greer Pattison. Strouse is tall, giving her the advantage to play any sport, but she landed in the water. 

“I’m not good on land,” she said. “I could be a volleyball player, but I have no coordination, so might as well just use my strength somewhere else.” 

Courtney said her dedication and hard work have always made her stand out but what many people don’t know is that she is very committed to her studies as well. Not only is she a top recruit in the pool, but in the classroom, too. 

Strouse said she is expecting to go the Pre-Med route at Northwestern because of her interest in the topic.

Krzyzanowski echoed Courtney’s sentiments about Strouse in the classroom saying she is a straight “A” student. Her hard work in the classroom is clearly mirrored in the pool.  

Strouse said one of the best things was getting to change her status to “committed” on CollegeSwimming.com, which also ranks her as the best recruit in Arizona and the seventh-best in the class of 2021. Her power index is an incredible 1.67 which is based on times, value of said time, and percentile rank among other high school swimmers. The closer to 0.00, the better. 

“She’s one of the fiercest competitors I’ve seen. She hates losing,” Krzyzanowski said. “She’s unlike any other person I’ve seen swim.”

Krzyzanowski said what people don’t see is the kind of character she has and how sarcastic she is. But more than that, she is also a loving, caring person. 

“She has a heart that really affects everyone. She affects everyone in the best of ways and she is looking out for people at the same time,” he said. 

Strouse is the first of the class of 2021 to commit to Northwestern at this time, according to CollegeSwimming.com. 

She is excited and ready to become a Wildcat. What she hopes to bring to Evanston, Illinois is more than times, more than medals, and even more than awards; She hopes to bring people with her on her road to glory.

“I am someone who never gives up even if I fail multiple times, which I usually do before I get to success,” Strouse said. “I bring people with me, that’s something that means a lot to me because I don’t want to be alone in my success.”