Bowling Green senior Emmy Sehmann will join the University of Wisconsin swimming team next fall.
She signed her national letter of intent in November.
Sehmann has competed at the state level each of her three years in high school and has also competed on
the junior national and national levels the past two years.
Her sophomore year, Sehmann switched from the 500 freestyle to the 100 and 200 freestyle where she
qualified for the junior nationals and received All-State honors.
This past season, Sehmann continued her march to state, placing seventh in the 100 and 200 freestyle,
qualifying her for the winter nationals where she swam her way into the semifinal round in the 200.
It was that national stage where she caught the attention of schools like Wisconsin, Purdue and Ohio
State According to Wisconsin’s signing release, Sehmann is a top-five recruit out of Ohio.
“I think she could have gone several different directions with her collegiate swimming career,” coach
Gary Layne said, “But I believe her inner drive to be the best took her to the Big Ten in Wisconsin, a
very tough swimming conference.”
The decision between Ohio State and Wisconsin was not an easy one, Sehmann said.
“When I went to Wisconsin, I had a feeling that was the right place,” she said. “I had a really hard time
deciding between Ohio State and Wisconsin, but I think I really liked Wisconsin was out of state because
I’ve never been out of state before like that.”
Sehmann also felt a connection with the team and coaching staff that made her decision easier.
With Sehmann’s work ethic, previous success and a small Wisconsin roster, it is likely that she will have
an immediate impact in the pool.
“There will be an obvious adjustment to the collegiate level,” Layne said. “But with her background, I
feel she’s very prepared.”
Layne said being able to compete right away will be a driving force for Sehmann, meaning she will have to
focus on having a successful senior season to make the transition easier.
Sehmann has no intent on altering her training because she said what she has done in the past has worked,
so she’s going to stick with it. Since she will likely stay in the sprinting events at Wisconsin, her
focus will stay in that area.
“I think I’ll be able to make an impact right away because I know they’re good at developing sprinters,”
she said.
Her talent paired with her drive is what will allow Sehmann to have continued success her senior year as
well as at Wisconsin, Layne said.
“I think driven athletes understand there’s no time to be complacent. You have to always be trying to get
better,” he said. “A lot of people will accept a bad swim or a bad day, but I don’t think in her career
Emmy has ever accepted that. She’s always tried to figure out what to do to get better.”