Faces off the field: Michaela Koltz, senior swimmer, Cedar Park

What is your favorite memory on the Cedar Park swimming team?

There was a swimmer on a team a few years back (Stella Shipps) who would make a music video before the state meet with a cheesy love song. Every year it made everybody laugh. Last year she gave me permission to carry on her tradition. Making the music video was a nice way to relieve some stress before state.

How did you start swimming?

I've always been around the pool. My mom (Maureen Koltz) cared a lot about water safety, making sure I'd be able to survive if I fell in a pool. I didn't really start to love swimming until we moved to Wisconsin (at age 8). That was the first place I learned that swimming can be fun and I could have friends who love the sport, too, and we wanted each to succeed.

Tell me about your training schedule.

So with (Nitro Club), we train doubles on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We start at 5:40 (a.m.) and go to 7:15 and then we'll go in the evenings from 5:30 to 7:30. On Mondays and Wednesdays we'll be training from 5:30 to 7:30 (p.m.) and we'll have another 45 minutes of out-of-water conditioning. On Friday we practice from 5:30 (a.m.) to 7:15 and Saturday from 6 (a.m.) to 7:15 with another another 45 minutes of conditioning.

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How do you motivate yourself to train on days you don’t feel like swimming?

I have to remember that I'm not going to feel my best at every meet. If I'm able to train through a practice where I don't feel great, that's going to pay off at a meet. I'm going to be able to push through, which is something I don't exactly enjoy.

What do you plan to do after you graduate?

I’ve committed to Rice University and plan to head up there next fall. I'm going to be studying something in the microbiology realm.

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If you could have dinner with four people in the history of the world, who would they be?

For sure, Taylor Swift. Then Betty White, Cleopatra and Beyoncé.

Why Betty White?

She lived to be almost 100 and has to have some great life stories. She's hilarious. I want to know the secret to almost getting to be 100. I watched "The Golden Girls" and I loved her.

Tell something about you that most people don’t know.

I love to read. I think I read "The Hunger Games" in four weeks. I recently finished a book called "Circe" by Madeline Miller. I really enjoy Greek mythology and this was a retelling of "The Odyssey," but it was through Circe's perspective of that story. It's probably one of the best books I've ever read.

What do you consider to be the world’s greatest invention?

This is kind of on-brand with the microbiology, but I'll say antibiotics. Just looking at mortality rates alone before penicillin and then having a stark drop afterwards, antibiotics have saved so many lives.

If you could attend any concert, who would you hear?

That would easily be Taylor Swift. She writes some of the most witty, clever, punchy lyrics.

Has swimming taught you any lessons you apply to daily life?

Overall, hard work does pay off. Pushing through something, you might not like it in the moment. Seeing those results pay off is something you'll never get used to and always strive to do.

Do you have any rituals or superstitions on days that you compete?

Yes, I will always eat "Swedish Fish" (gummy candies) before any swim meet. It's not a healthy treat, but I believe they do make a difference. At this point I have a huge superstition I won't do as well if I stop.

If you could take a vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I would travel across the Mediterranean to see all the coastal regions, learn their culture and of course eat their food.

— Rick Cantu

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Faces off the field: Michaela Koltz, senior swimmer, Cedar Park