Oct. 7, 2016
by Dan Froehlich, Auburn Media Relations
Defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary, strength is 'the quality of state of being strong; the ability to resist being moved or broken by a force; the quality that allows someone to deal with a problem in a determined and effective way.'
Kristen Murslack not only knows strength, but she is strength. One in a set or triplets, during her high school years her father, Charles, was diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully, he beat it. To honor him, and to reminder herself, she had the word 'Strength' tattooed on the right side of her mid-back.
"Just a little word on the side of my body means a lot to me and it's all because of him," Kristen said earlier this week. She then dove into the water to start another training session in a life that has been full of them.
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Kristen played soccer and swam from an early age, joining the club swimming team at age 6 and competing in both throughout high school. It became a routine, something that she competed in daily, but also one that she excelled at. And sometimes the routine became monotonous, so much so that during her freshman year swimming at Auburn there were times she would, "wish the weeks away."
Now a senior, Kristen has found the inner strength that has turned her into a leader - she was named team captain earlier this fall - and one of the top swimmers on this year's women's team.
One of the most versatile athletes on Auburn's roster, she has swum the middle distance freestyle, the breaststroke, the butterfly and the IM events, though her favorite event is the 200 fly.
"The 200 fly is the smartest race I can swim," she said. "There is more strategy in the 200 (versus the 100). The third 50 in the 200 is probably the most important. In the 100 I don't really have that much sprinting capabilities. The 200 gives me more time to get into my rhythm, get into my pace and get there and swim fast."
Last year she went a personal-best in the 200 fly as well as a personal-best in the 200 IM during the SEC Championships but it wasn't enough to earn a NCAA invitation.
This year she is planning on not missing those opportunities that she foolishly wished away as a freshman.
"I'm enjoying every single day," she said. "I'm smiling a lot more, I'm laughing, I'm joking with my teammates. I'm having a lot more fun. If you take it day-by-day and be the best you can be day-in and day-out, you can get a lot more. Whether you are bettering yourself or bettering others I think that having an open mind and being open to the opportunities that you are offered and faced with can make for a great last season of swimming."
For Murslack and the rest of her teammates, that last season starts on Saturday in Madison, Wis., where both the Auburn women and men will swim a dual meet against Wisconsin. The meet kicks off at 10 a.m.