Mustang Profile: Assistant Coach Isabella Arcila
Dec 30 | Women's Swimming & Diving
DALLAS (SMU) - Leading by example. That's one quality that every coach of the SMU women's swimming and diving program shares. From conference champions to All-Americans to Olympians, Mustang success is coached by those who have lived it.
Isabella Arcila ranks among the top in that elite group who have transitioned from student-athlete to coach in a short time. With seven All-America honors and 17 conference championships under her belt, success is engrained in her.
"Steve [Collins] and I had this conversation before my freshman year, and our goal was to make the Olympics together and now we're a year away from those. Now after the time I've spent training with Steve I want to return the favor and help him out with the team."
Arcila spends just as much time in the pool these days. Not only is she helping mold student-athletes from dry land, she is also pushing them to reach their full potential in the water while training alongside them. Arcila currently has a pair of Rio provisional standards in the 50- and 100-meter freestyles. The Cali, Colombia, native is using the help of her former teammates and coach Steve Collins to help her reach her Olympic goals.
"As much as I enjoyed being a student-athlete, completing the student part gives me the time and space I need to do all the training qualifying for the Olympics requires," Arcila added.
"It's way different when you see it from the outside. When you race and you get a get a top time it's different because on this side of things you see it as a whole. Within the team you're always thinking about yourself and your times, but when you're on the outside and you're going for the championship, or to swim to get better as a team, you want to hold everybody together."
Going for championships as a coach started with her first meet of the 2015-16 season, a very fast SMU Classic. With top-25 teams from around the country Arcila was able to see things from a different angle, and says the energy and her experience are what she relies on as an assistant coach.
"It just felt amazing to have a group of girls and build the energy outside the pool because usually I'm swimming and I only get to hear noise, but now I could feel the energy and help us stay together as a team. Giving them the knowledge and input I had felt pretty awesome."
Arcila's name is engraved in the SMU record book and will be for years to come. She has proven herself on the NCAA level, but now is ready to take the next step and make a name for herself on the International stage. Like so many swimmers and divers who have come through the SMU program, the relationship Arcila has built with Collins and the institution is a recipe for success for her future.
