The water feels like home. The air smells like chlorine. The moment her fingers slice through the surface, Adrienne Schadler forgets everything else — school, stress, noise — to focus on the rhythm of her breathing.
Stroke, kick, turn. Again.
The sound of splashing fills the pool as Schadler pushes through her final lap, neck to neck with her competitor. She takes one last breath, giving her all on the last stroke. Screams erupt from her teammates. She smiles when she looks up at the clock. One second faster.
It’s an early morning practice, long before most people are awake. But for Schadler, this is where she feels most alive. Every lap is a test of strength and focus, every second shaved off the clock a small victory in her journey toward something bigger.
Schadler, a junior at Community High School, has been swimming competitively since she was eight years old. What started as a family tradition quickly became her personal mission.
“It’s definitely a big family thing,” Schadler said. “My brother swam before me, and he just got me in the water. But I think it’s the community that I was swimming in that made me love it.”
That love has carried her to some of the biggest stages in youth swimming. Schadler specializes in freestyle events — from sprints to distance races — and has already built a resume that rivals many college athletes.
Last November, representing Ann Arbor Skyline High School, Schadler captured two Division 2 state meet wins in both the 200 and 500-yard freestyle, with times of 1:48.79 and 4:51.08. In March of this year, at the Michigan Ultra Championships, she reset personal bests once again, swimming 23.73 in the 50 free, 50.28 in the 100 free and 4:53.36 in the 500 free.
But her proudest moments came from competing at the USA Swimming Futures Championships in Ocala, Florida, this past summer — only one step below Junior Nationals. Against some of the fastest swimmers in the country, Schadler finished ninth in the 400 free, clocking a lifetime best of 4:21.40. She also placed among the top 25 in multiple other events. These results have secured her spot as one of the top young swimmers in Michigan and earned her the attention of multiple Division 1 collegiate athletic programs.
In September, she verbally committed to Arizona State University, where she’ll join one of the most competitive NCAA swim teams in the country. The team is led by Herbie Behm, who was recently promoted to head coach.
“I’m pretty excited,” Schadler said. “I think I found my home at Arizona State. The people were really nice, and I just felt like I connected with the team and the coaches so much better there.”
For Schadler, transitioning to ASU means more than swimming faster: it’s the next step to her ultimate goal. Joining a nationally recognized program like Arizona State allows her to train alongside some of the best collegiate swimmers in the country and under a coaching staff known for developing Olympians. She’s eager to take advantage of the program’s facilities and competitive atmosphere to push herself to new levels. More than anything, Schadler sees this as a chance to grow, as an athlete, a student and teammate.
Her sights are still set on the future, where she’s currently three seconds off the Olympic trial cut in the 400 freestyle — a milestone she’s determined to reach.
“From day one when I got in the pool, I was like, ‘Oh, I think I can do something big with this,’” Schadler said. “Ever since I was little, I always had these big goals, big dreams, and I just want to prove to myself, like little me, that I actually did this.”
But the journey hasn’t always been smooth. Behind every record is a story of setbacks and perseverance.
“I had a really hard freshman year at Skyline, but last year I transferred to Community and not even a week into school, I found my people and found teachers that actually wanted to have a connection with someone,” Schadler said.
Although CHS doesn’t have any sports teams, Schadler trains and competes with Club Wolverine, an organization known for training Olympic-level swimmers like Michael Phelps, Peter Vanderkaay and Allison Schmitt. Practices are intense for Schadler and often stretch late into the night, and balancing that with school can be difficult, but Schadler has her own personal — every second matters.
Her training philosophy is simple: work hard, stay grounded and don’t overthink. One support system she’s learned to lean on over the years is her team. While swimming can feel like an individual sport at times, Schadler believes it’s her team that continues to motivate her.
“You have your individual races, but there are relays, too,” Schadler said. “You’re earning points for yourself and for your team. You have to support everyone. That’s what keeps it fun.”
She doesn’t chase other people’s success — she chases her own growth. “It’s easy to look at someone else and think, ‘They’re going faster than me,’” Schadler said. “But you have to remember you’re your own person. If someone’s faster, just use that as motivation. Even if you hit a plateau, you can always get better.”
Her inspirations — Katie Ledecky, Summer McIntosh and Michael Phelps — remind her that any goal is possible, but it’s her family that keeps her grounded.
“There are two sides to it,” Schadler said. “There’s my family — my brother, my mom, my dad — they’re always there for me. But when I look at swimmers like Ledecky or McIntosh, I see where I want to be. ”
As she looks toward college and beyond, Schadler’s goals are clear: to keep pushing limits, breaking records and proving that the impossible is within reach.
“Swimming has always been about proving to myself that I can do something big,” Schadler said. “I think little me would be proud of how far I’ve come.”
And somewhere in the pool — between the rhythmic strokes and the echos of each breath — that little girl is still swimming right beside her.
