Female Breakout Player of the Year, Runner-Up: Sara Li

Junior swimmer Sara Li took the blocks at NCAA Championships alone, but it was a team effort that got her there.

Li’s last races of the season were on the biggest stage of her career and marked a complete transformation from her sophomore season. The junior swam the 50, 100, and 200-yard freestyle races at the national meet and placed 37th, 38th, and 34th, respectively.

Although Li’s journey to the national stage ended with a loss to Princeton at Ivy League Championships, the co-captain had the performance of her career at Ivy’s and ECAC Championships the next day. She broke program or pool records in all three of her events and led the Crimson to victory in the 200-yard medley relay at Ivy’s.

“When I was [at NCAA’s], the whole time I was hoping my teammates would be able to join me next year,” Li said. “A lot of people had success this season, and I think that made me more successful.”

At Ivy League Championships, Li finished third in the 50-yard freestyle but set a school record with a time of 22.46 seconds. Leading off the 4x100-yard medley relay at ECAC Championships, Li set a program record, finishing in 48.67 seconds. Her time was the fastest at Blodgett Pool in 32 years, and Harvard finished fifth in the meet. Li also set a program record with a 1:45:88 finish in the 200 free.

After suffering from an injury as a sophomore, Li decided last spring to train for Olympic trials. Though she didn’t make it, the process was transformative.

According to Crimson coach Stephanie Wriede Morawski ’92, racing against herself and the clock gave Li the confidence and desire to train harder for the intercollegiate season.

“It flipped a switch in her. What she realized about herself is that she can swim very fast if she doesn’t put the pressure on herself,” Morawski said. “Once she realized that, it was more enjoyable for her to get in the pool and race.”

Morawski said she was not surprised by Li’s 50- and 200-yard times, but Li was able to swim the 100-yard freestyle about three-tenths of a second faster than Morawski expected.

This season marked the second time Harvard qualified two swimmers for the NCAA championships. But Li’s teammate, sophomore Courtney Otto, declined her invitation due to injury, leaving Li as the Crimson’s sole representative.

Li was not able to repeat her performances from Ivy League and ECAC competition in Indianapolis, where she finished in the middle of the field in all three of her races. She finished the 50-yard freestyle in 22.75 seconds, the 100-yard freestyle in 49.50 seconds, and the 200-yard freestyle in 1:46:98 seconds.

Named as one of three co-captains at the end of last season, Li came to the meet having taken on a much greater leadership role on the team.

“A big part of it is leading by example,” Morawski said. “She’d get into the water and instead of being comfortable going second or third, she would step up and go first. She held herself accountable, and that inspired those around her.”

This year, all three improvements on Li’s personal bests came in freestyle events, and she also helped the team win the 200-yard medley relay at Ivy League Championships with her freestyle leg. She swam the 200-yard freestyle 0.07 seconds off the current program record, finishing in 1:46:48 before breaking that record at ECAC’s. Li rounded out her meet by finishing third in the 400-yard medley relay.

Behind Li, the team went undefeated in its dual meet season and came in sixth at both the UGA Fall Invitational and the Georgia Tech Invitational in November. Although Harvard failed to repeat as Ivy League champions, the Crimson won its fifth mid-major title, awarded by CollegeSwimming.com, in 11 years.

“Overall it was an awesome season,” Li said. “We were able set off the energy of the freshman coming in and we really fed off of that. We tried to carry the momentum from last year.”

Li was awarded the Sharon Beckman Award by her teammates and coaches, which goes to the most outstanding and dedicated swimmer on the team. The junior said that being named a captain changed her mindset and made her more dedicated and committed to the team.

“This season as a captain I wanted to step up and lead my team, not only mentally, but also swim fast and inspire people that way,” Li said. “I was happier to contribute points to the team rather than win my own title.”

—Staff writer Hope Schwartz can be reached at hschwartz@college.harvard.edu. Follow her on Twitter @HopeSchwartz16.