Thielmann Takes on Leading Role for Gators
Friday, January 30, 2015 | Women's Swimming & Diving
By BRITNEE MCCOY
GatorZone.com Writing Intern
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Culture and Chipotle. Those were the two things that Gator swimmer Jessica Thielmann first noticed when she arrived in town to start college.
The All-American was born and raised in Newcastle, England, a place she doesn't go a day without thinking about.
“The culture is very very different, it was a huge shock when I got here,” Thielmann said. “The food definitely is different. The weather obviously is very very different, but at the end of the day, I'm just swimming up and down, so it's the same thing in any type of pool.”
Home or away, the pool is Thielmann's comfort zone.
Newcastle is the reason Thielmann is the swimmer she is today. Most kids enjoy drawing and coloring. Jessica was more interested in jumping in the water. She won her first British junior championship and medal at age 11. She credits her former coach, Ian Oliver, for pushing her from the start. Following her fast start, Thielmann became the British record holder in the 1,500 free for ages 13 and 15.
Her accomplishments already have her in the record books at UF. She is ranked third all-time in the 1,650 free, fourth in the 500 free, and 10th in the 400 IM. When asked about her success, Thielmann says she is proud of herself but refuses to become satisfied with her performances because she knows she can do better.
Adjusting to the U.S. took some time.
Thielmann said her teammates help her from getting homesick. She describes the Gator Nation as a family. Back home in England, she was more on her own as it was every swimmer for herself. Here in America, the sport is more team oriented.
Thielmann only has one sibling, so gaining a group of 28 sisters that have each other's back was definitely something that she embraced when she arrived at Florida.
In the team's win Saturday at Auburn, Thielmann placed first in the women's 1,000-yard freestyle as well as the women's 500-yard freestyle. She says she sees her role changing daily, and so can Florida head coach Gregg Troy.
Thielmann took on a larger role since the departure on 2008 and 2012 Olympian Elizabeth Beisel. She says Beisel has set the bar in many ways, and replacing her is impossible. Thielmann said the UF women's team pushes the limit daily to fill that gap.
“Jess has shown a new level of maturity this year. A lot of leadership on her part and she is great at adapting when we need her throughout the meet,'' Troy said. “We feel very good about where she's at.”
The Gators face Tennessee on Saturday on Senior Day at the O'Connell Center.
While they will count on Thielmann for points, there's more to junior from England than swimming. Thielmann is an academic All-American, and she was also on the SEC Academic honor roll.
Thielmann said her parents and Oliver always told her that academics must come first, and that academic success would bring about other accomplishments. When asked how she manages swimming, school and life, she said it's a 24/7 job.
“That's just part of what you know when you come to school, you have to manage both,'' she said. “Falling behind in school is not an option because then I won't be able to do what I love, which is swim. It's tough sometimes but it's definitely manageable.”
With the regular season winding down and SEC Championships right around the corner, Thielmann said her team's hunger is to win it all has not changed.
“We have a totally different team, it's a lot younger, but it's still the same goals like being top in the SEC and top in the NCAA,'' Thielmann said.
