Pottsgrove’s Emily Glinecke signs with Arizona State

Her career has been all about trying new things.

After transferring schools and also joining a new club team all within the past two seasons, Emily Glinecke has had little issues adjusting on the fly.

Now she’s set to make a whole new adjustment, as Glinecke recently signed her letter of intent to continue her swimming career with NCAA Division I Arizona State University next fall.

“The team seemed like an overall really good fit for me,” said Glinecke of ASU’s swim program. “It was a great atmosphere; the team seemed like a family and made me feel welcome right away. It felt like I was right where I belonged.”

Glinecke, who will pursue a degree in exercise science, was also considering Ohio State and Nova Southeastern in Florida.

“I visited both of them right after I visited Arizona State and those schools didn’t even compare for me,” Glinecke said. “My heart was pretty much set.”

After transferring from The Hill School to Pottsgrove for her junior season last year, Glinecke quickly made a splash with the Falcons. A year before that, she joined the Boyertown Navy Seals YMCA club team.

At the District 1-AA Championships this past February, Glinecke captured gold in the 200 free and posted a new district record in the 100 breast at La Salle University. Just a few weeks later, she took home two silver medals at the PIAA-AA Championships at Bucknell University, in the 200 free and the 100 breast, both of which were area-bests this past season.

“It was definitely a much more challenging championship meet than I was used to,” said Glinecke. “States was probably one of the biggest meets I had ever swam in while I was with The Hill School. The energy and the intensity (at the PIAA Championships) were so much different than anything I’d experienced in the past.”

Still she feels that transition and that experience will help her make the step from high school to college athletics.

“I know what it’s like to have to make a whole new group of friends and adjust to entirely new coaching methods,” she said. “I think that will definitely help me in college when I’m in a new atmosphere.”

While at Arizona State, Glinecke will swim under decorated head coach Bob Bowman, who is currently in his first year with the program. Bowman, a 2010 inductee of the American Swimming Coaches Hall of Fame, is a five-time ASCA Coach of the Year, and is the most honored coach in the 40-plus years of the award.

The longtime coach of 18-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, Bowman will become just the third coach in school history to be at the head of both the men’s and women’s teams.

“I’m excited. He’s done some really great things and coached some really great swimmers,” said Glinecke. “It’s definitely going to be a challenge, but I’m looking forward to it. I’ve just got to keep pushing hard and doing my best.”

At this point in her career, she’s used to being pushed hard and testing her limits. After joining the Navy Seals program two seasons ago, Glinecke has made several strides both in and out the water since.

“When she came into our program, she was in a rut,” said Linda Jones, who had coached the team for 24 years before retiring this past season. “She wasn’t posting best times, and at times seemed dejected.”

But something changed as the team began to challenge Glinecke.

“She eventually adapted and her times came flying down. It was exciting to see her get past that rough stretch and start posting really good times.

“She’s got amazing talent mixed with an excellent amount of work ethic. I have no doubt that she can make an impact at Arizona State. She’s one of the hardest workers I’ve seen. She has so many assets she can bring to that program. She’s never been afraid of a challenge, so I think she’ll take advantage of every opportunity she has.”

In her two seasons with the Boyertown YMCA program, Glinecke holds three women’s records, including the 100 breast, 200 breast and also swam a leg in the record-breaking 200 medley relay.

With her decorated career coming to a close this upcoming winter season, Glinecke looks poised to put together another strong season for Pottsgrove.