University of North Florida Senior Victoria Torres just finished the final season of her swim career. 

Here at UNF, Torres made a name for herself by breaking the UNF 100-yard breaststroke record, being the ASUN Swimmer of the Week in October 2024, and making the CSC Academic All-District Team in 2024. 

Joining the swimming world

For most of her early childhood, Torres spent her time practicing mixed martial arts. But when she turned ten, she realized that swimming might be a better choice for her. 

“I didn’t like getting hit in the face, and my parents said I have to pick a sport,” said Torres. “But my cousin swam, and so I wanted to try.”

When she tried out for the team in sixth grade, the pace picked up. Torres made the high school varsity team while still in middle school. 

She owes the interest to her cousin Ana Rojas, a swimmer at Purdue. Torres was “in awe” of the accomplishments her cousin made through swimming, as well as the relationships.

Starting her career

Once Torres committed to the sport, she became a little nervous. Knowing that she was one of the youngest swimmers on the varsity team, she was anxious. 

“The placement scared me, but it made me more confident knowing I made a start on a team rather than needing more practice,” said Torres. 

Not only did Torres swim for the school team, but she also swam for a club team. With both teams, free time was something Torres only dreamt about. 

Torres would practice in the morning before school from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. Torres attended after-school practices. On the weekends, they would have meets, as well as more practice. 

“I found it hard to balance school and social life, but it was worth it, and it taught me discipline, which helped in college,” said Torres. 

Deciding on her future

When determining where Torres wanted to continue her swimming career, she had multiple factors that played into the decision. 

These factors consisted of team culture, location, coaching staff, and academics. 

“Academics were most important for me,” said Torres. “I wanted to find a place that was academically fit for me and my goals.”

Torres took a trip to UNF to visit, and when she did, she immediately fell in love with the team. She also loved the resources the athletic department offered to help her be successful academically. 

“The coaches would foster my growth and help me be the best athlete I can be both in the water and outside,” said Torres.

Representing the Ospreys

Jumping into her college career, Torres started to feel the pressure. Being chosen to represent a program and be expected to perform well, while also balancing a full course load of college work, surprised Torres. 

“If I could say one thing to my freshman year self, you can do it, even with all the pressure,” said Torres. 

Making a name for herself during her freshman year, Torres broke the 100-yard breaststroke record during a midseason meet. The record had been standing since 2016.

During the preliminary race, Torres swam 0.1 seconds slower than the record, so when she swam for the finals, she had one goal in mind. 

“I heard my team erupt in cheers. The memory will stay with me forever because the girls only knew me for a couple of months, but they were so supportive, and they had true happiness for me,” said Torres. 

Finishing out her career

With this past season being her final one, Torres had a goal to end her season happy. There were no specific records she wanted to break; she just wanted to make it a point to end her college career, and swim career in general, happy. 

“I set a reminder in my phone in the beginning of the season that would go off during our final conference meet,” said Torres. “I wrote: finish it happy, with a smiley face.”

During her time at UNF, Torres served as the team captain for three seasons. She appreciated the opportunity to strengthen her communication skills, deal with conflict, and make hard decisions. 

Torres, however, does not plan to continue swimming. 

“I’m pretty swimmed out, I don’t see me touching a pool for at least a couple months,” said Torres. “Even though the sport is amazing and can give you so much, it can be draining.”

Torres now wants to focus on new and different ways to move her body and exercise. 

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