Making Waves Around The Globe: Melissa Cowen’s Inspiring Story to Gator Swimming

To celebrate International Education Week, WRUF is publishing profiles of UF student-athletes all week.

Some kids find a sport they are good at quickly. Melissa Cowen learned early on she was not just good at swimming, she excelled at it. By high school, she was breaking national records and creating a name for herself. Now, she is continuing her swimming success with the Florida Gators.

Early Life

Cowen started swimming at the age of eight. As a child, anytime her family went on holiday, her parents watched her jump straight into the water. They were constantly grabbing her out of the pool and decided she should learn how to swim.

Cowen started swimming at the North Shore Swimming Club in Auckland, New Zealand, and she was instantly hooked. Not only did she love the community she found, she also thrived in the pool.

“If you are doing well at something, obviously you are probably going to enjoy it,” Cowen said.

By high school, Cowen had already started making a name for herself in the swimming world. Swim Swam Magazine reported, that in the Fall of 2020, she swam a short course, a race in a pool that is 27.34 yards, in “2:23:47 to break the New Zealand record by almost 2 seconds.”

When it came time for college, Cowen knew from a young age that she wanted to come to the U.S. At 10 years old, she was inspired by someone else on her swim team who came to the U.S. to join the UCLA swim team. She was able to see all the opportunities coming to the U.S. would have for her swimming career. The University of Florida was her top choice, due to its top-rated swimming program and the warm weather.

Life In the U.S.

Since coming to the University of Florida this fall, Cowen has realized some cultural differences between her home country and the United States. One instance is her teammates using different words to reference swimming equipment.

For instance, the equipment that swimmers put between their legs during practice to improve their alignment, Cowen refers to as a pull buoy. On the other hand, the United States refers to it as a buoy. Also, in New Zealand, they refer to swimsuits as togs. She says differences in words always confuse her.

Luckily, Cowen has not experienced any homesickness since coming to the United States.

“Honestly, it would be hard to find the time to miss home,” Cowen said.

As a student-athlete, Cowen has a busy schedule. The team has nine practices per week and gym training five days a week.

Cowen’s teammates have personally stated how impressed they are with Cowen’s smooth transition since coming to the U.S. Teammate and friend to Cowen, Alex Mitchell commented on how amazed she is with Cowen.

“Mel has adjusted incredibly well to such a new and distant environment. I am impressed everyday by her courage and attitude about coming all the way across the world to go to Florida. She is an amazing friend and always puts a smile on my face” Alex Mitchell said.

Swimming with the Florida Gators

Cowen made her collegiate debut in the pool on Sept. 29 against Vanderbilt. Though Cowen didn’t place at the meet, the Florida Gators Women’s swim team still secured its first conference win of the season.

Cowen described the experience as “really fun and exciting”. However, the competition was strange for her as it was her first race competing in yards instead of meters. She said that she enjoyed the race in yards because it made it a little bit shorter, but she also emphasized that she still needs some time to adjust to the difference so she can better pace her races.
For weekly practices, Cowen says the Florida Gators practices are tough but she welcomes the challenge.

“It’s a lot more personalized and I get what I need,” she said.

Cowen specifically enjoys having the opportunity to focus on her favorite stroke. In New Zealand, her team was smaller, so she had to practice for multiple races. The Florida Gators’ coaching staff broke the team up based on their strokes, so Cowen can focus on the breaststroke, where the arms make a circular motion in front of the body and the knees are brought up and then kicked back.

Cowen also appreciates the constant support of the UF faculty, which makes it easy to balance school and swimming. She explained the professors she has had are always “understanding” and “eager to help” the athletes make the best schedule to balance their sports and school.

Hopes for the Future

Cowen said she has already seen improvement in herself in her short time at UF, and she looks forward to seeing the progression of all Gator swimmers.

“It’s going to be exciting to see how people develop with the team because we have a really strong freshman class that has just come in,” she said.

Outside of the pool, Cowen is excited to travel to different parts of the U.S. and hopes to go hiking. She already has plans to visit Chicago with her teammate, for Thanksgiving break.

For anyone thinking about going abroad or trying something new, Cowen encourages them to do so.

Cowen quoted Hockey Hall of Famer, Wayne Gretzky. “You miss all the shots you don’t take, so you might as well give it a go” she said.