Aru Venugopalan ’24
Jason Ni ’23
Jake Shaud ‘22 is known for his dedication and hard-work both in and out of the pool. Shaud explains the beginning of his swimming career by saying, “I started swimming when I was 5 years old. We joined our local summer swim club and my parents just signed me up for the swim team to give me something to do in the summer.” He continues, “Once I was on the summer swim team, I really enjoyed it and started doing well at the meets. I wanted to do more so I joined the year-round aquatic club here at EA (Episcopal Academy Aquatic Club) when I was nine years old.” Shaud had the opportunity to meet Brian Kline, Quincy Hyson, and Chris Lear, who introduced him to the EA swim program. “Nearly a decade later, I still train with these same coaches for the EA Varsity team, and also through the Suburban Seahawks Club (SSC),” Shaud comments.
Swimming for both EA and SSC Jake has achieved many accolades and achievements for his hard work and dedication to the sport. These achievements started when he was ten, from qualifying for the Junior Olympics, to now racing at the Nation’s Capital Invitational and Mid-Atlantic Senior Championships, and winning the Inter-Ac twice and coming first at the Easterns competition.
Over the years, Shaud has developed many valuable traits, such as his care and his work ethic, that allow him to become a stand-out swimmer and person. Brian Kline, Boys Varsity Swim and Dive Head Coach, states, “Jake is an extremely personable, caring and hardworking individual who, time and time again, demonstrates his selflessness to both his teammates and peers by constantly thinking of others before himself. He is a joy to coach and is constantly striving to be as best as he can possibly be.”
In addition, Shaud is always willing to push himself past his comfort zone, especially if it is to benefit the team. Kline explains, “This year he was willing to join the water polo team to help the team and extend his boundaries to help us foster an environment where we not only have a strong starting lineup but a strong bench as well. In swimming, he is extremely adaptable and is always able and willing to move around to different positions while maintaining a high level of competitiveness in all of them.” As a swimmer and a team member, Shaud is truly willing to put the team and others before his own needs, stretching his comfort zone and positively impacting the community as a whole.
Shaud’s teammates have nothing but praise for both his accomplishments as a swimmer and a leader. Varsity Swimmer and Varsity Water Polo Player Nic Staley ‘22 states, “Shaud is a great guy and brings a lot of energy to the group. He is a really good team player who sees the pool extremely well and is very fast.” Teammate on the Swim and Water Polo Team Ben Peters ’22 adds, “What is there not to love about him? He is a great guy to be around, funny and welcoming, someone who you would be proud to be teammates with – not to mention the fact that he is extremely fast.” Jake exemplifies his personality as he is an extremely enjoyable person to be around and makes sure everyone feels welcomed.
One of Shaud’s favorite memories while swimming for EA was during his sophomore year. As he recounts, “One of my favorite memories was being on the winning 200 Freestyle Relay Team at the Inter-Ac Championship meet my sophomore year. The meet was really close, our event was at the end of the meet, and we were not favored to win. But, my relay team (Jonathon Valdes ‘21, Mason Kline ‘22, Cole Whitsett ‘20, and I) won the event and sealed the Inter-Ac Championship victory for EA that year.”
Kline explains, “Jake was the anchor of the 200 Freestyle Relay. By the time he started the final 50 meters, he was not expected to win due to the gap between him and the leader.” He adds, “However, he pushed through and swam an unbelievable leg and ended up being the main contributor to an Episcopal gold medal.” This put Episcopal in a prime position to eventually claim the Interac Swimming and Diving championship.
Shaud says he is extremely thankful to his coaches and teammates for their encouragement over his years of swimming. For his future plans with swimming Shaud explains, “I am going to swim in college and have been on a number of official visits to schools this fall that I really enjoyed. I hope to have a final decision before the winter break.” He continues, “I’ve made so many good friends and learned from so many great coaches from my school, club and summer teams.”
Photo Courtesy of Jake Shaud ‘22