Alex Archambault ’14, Eliza Dordleman: If anyone ever needs to find Tara O’Prey ‘13, a good place to look would be the pool. At age three, almost as soon as she could grasp the concept of swimming, she was encouraged to swim by her mother, who was a swimmer herself.
Since then, swimming has become a constant in O’Prey’s life. During school swim season, she practices with the team eight times a week, in addition to grueling practices over Christmas break.
O’Prey also competes during the fall and winter for an outside club team. This means that all winter she does not just compete in school meets but in club meets as well.
Surprisingly, all of this work does not decrease O’Prey’s passion for her sport; Tara looks forward to continuing her swimming career at the University of Connecticut next year.
O’Prey’s work ethic and passion show in the pool, where her accomplishments speak for themselves.
She has been named as an “All-Delco” swimmer three times and “All American” 4 times. She has set multiple records for Episcopal, including the 200 individual medley, the 200 freestyle, and a contribution to the top medley relay.
However, one of O’Prey’s most memorable events in her swimming career occured during her freshman year when she and her teammates were able to capture the Inter-Ac championship for the first time in history. O’Prey described the victory over arch-rival Germantown Academy at home her “most memorable experience with swimming”.
As team co-captain this year, O’Prey is eager to help the team by setting an example and helping the underclassmen get through tough practices.
She told the Delaware County Times, “I’m just really excited to be a captain this year. I get to be a role model for the younger people on the team and get them motivated for all the meets. Just going in after every event and making sure we’re having fun while working hard, we make sure we’re balancing it out so it’s not just all serious.”
Underclassmen Sarah Baturka ‘16 states “Tara is always enthusiastic and dedicated to the team. She has really stepped up in becoming a captain this year and tries her best to motivate the team both at practices and at meets. She really wants the entire team to succeed and her captain skills show just that.”
When asked how she thinks the girls’ team will fare this season, O’Prey replied “I think we’re going to have another successful season and just go after it and hopefully do well!”
People are already expecting great things from the EA girls swim team this year. O’Prey is certainly ready to make her last year on the team a memorable and (hopefully) winning one.

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