Meet the Freshmen: Lauren Cuervo
10/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Oct. 21, 2008
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Freshman swimmer Lauren Cuervo felt right at home in Tuscaloosa from her first visit last year. And as a standout backstroker and a Scholastic All-American, she fits right in among the Crimson Tide.
A native of Hollywood, Fla., Cuervo started competing in swimming at age 12. She swam for Duffy Dillon at Cardinal Gibbons High School and the Fort Lauderdale Aquatics club, leading Gibbons to back-to-back Catholic State Championships in 2005 and 2006.
Cuervo enjoys the competitive atmosphere of the Crimson Tide.
"Practices are much more intense than they were in high school. You can tell here at practice that everyone's focus is swimming," Cuervo said. "College swimming takes up so more time than high school. We do a lot of different exercises in the water everyday, more yardages and more timed sets, I like it a lot better than high school."
While her first meet swimming for the Tide was a nerve-racking experience, her nerves were tamed by the sense of team, the sense of tradition that is Alabama Swimming and Diving.
"I love the team," Cuervo said. "It's great to get to know everyone on the team because you can tell how close they all are."
Growing up as an only child, Cuervo has always had her own room, which means living in an on-campus suite with four other freshmen swimmers has been something of an adjustment.
"I sleep on the bottom bunk, so at night when I'm sleeping I will have my roommate's blankets falling on top of me," she said with a laugh. "It's definitely an adjustment learning how to share a room."
A public relations major, Cuervo eventually sees the bright lights of show business in her future.
"I want to work for a movie company in their public relations department, organizing premieres," Cuervo said. "I like to organize activities and be in charge of events and I especially want to be able to wear nice clothes everyday."
For now, Cuervo is content to watch movies, such as her all time favorite "Chicago", and read in her spare time. On the literary front, she was surprised to learn that author Harper Lee, who wrote her favorite book "To Kill a Mocking Bird," also attended The University of Alabama.
Players Mentioned
