SV Hall taps Myers
This is the first in a series of three articles profiling the Seneca Valley Sports Hall of Fame's Class of 2017. ST. LOUIS — Throughout her swimming career, Abby Myers never lost sight of the big picture. She set goals, then went after them with persistent effort.Though she swam only as a freshman and sophomore for Seneca Valley's varsity team, she left quite a mark. As a freshman in 2008, she won a WPIAL Class AAA title in the girls 100-yard butterfly. The next year, she toppled the school record in the 200 freestyle at the WPIAL meet.Myers will be inducted into the Seneca Valley Sports Hall of Fame Sept. 16.“For as long as I can remember, my main goal was to swim at the best university I could get to,” said Myers. “I also remember entering Seneca Valley's pool for the first time. I was seven-years-old and I saw a banner that congratulated Amanda Smith (Seneca Valley Class of 2002) for qualifying for the Olympic Trials. I knew then that I wanted to do that, too.”Myers would end up reaching both goals, but first had to find her niche in the sport.“When I tried out for the Seneca Valley Swim Club, they had me swim the butterfly and I was horrible at it,” she said. “I couldn't make it to the other end of the pool.“It was challenging for me because the fly stroke is not a natural movement in the water. It can be painful on your shoulders, but I saw a few other girls doing it and it made me want to do it, too.”Myers continued to improve and was swimming at the sectional meet for SVSC by the time she was 12. At 14, she competed in the Junior National Meet in Indianapolis.By the time she became a member of Seneca Valley's varsity team her freshman year, she was one of the top young swimmers in the entire district. She proved it that February by winning the butterfly in 57.39 seconds, .38 seconds faster than the defending champion — Moon's Zina Grogg. Myers was the only freshman to place in the top 10 in the event.“It was tough to truly appreciate what I accomplished at a young age,” Myers said. “The state meet was right around the corner and I knew I'd be preparing for that.”Myers would go on to place second in the butterfly at states, improving her time to 56.48. The next year, it would be the 200 freestyle that led to a memorable effort.Myers entered the WPIAL meet in 2009 as the top-ranked swimmer in the event. Though she placed second, her time of 1:52.54 broke SV's school record, previously held by former teammate Rose Snyder (1:52.8).“It's always fun to break a record,” said Myers. “It shows the current swimmers are affecting the program in a positive way.”Myers recalled how she was influenced by then-SV coach Tom Donati.“I couldn't have asked for a better coach,” she said. “Tom was like an additional parent for me. He was so supportive.”Her sophomore season would be Myers' last swimming for the Raiders. By the next year, she had joined Fox Chapel's club team, based on Donati's recommendation. A conflict in training expectations between Fox Chapel and Seneca Valley's high school team forced her to choose and she opted for the former. She graduated from Seneca Valley in 2011.Myers ended up earning a scholarship to swim at the University of Kentucky, where she competed in the 100 and 200 butterfly events while majoring in exercise science.Last year, she realized her second dream of swimming at the Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb.“I swam the butterfly events and it wasn't my best effort,” she said, “but it takes a lot to get there and my goal was to compete and I did that.”She recently began work toward a doctoral degree in physical therapy at Washington University in St. Louis.Myers will be returning to be inducted next month.“I watched Amanda Smith get inducted (in 2010) and never thought I'd be chosen since I competed for Seneca for just two years,” she said. “I'm very honored.”
