Alabama Swimmer Rhyan White Still has Something to Prove

One of Crimson Tide's most decorated swimmers has eyes on NCAA championship, but the SEC Championships take priority.

Edwin Stanton | Feb 14, 2023

Want to feel like you haven’t accomplished anything in your life? Just look over Rhyan White’s swimming resume.

Grab a beverage because you will be reading for a while.

She’s got a few SEC titles here, a few All-American honors there. She’s got an SEC Swimmer of the Year honor and an abundance of school records. Oh, and how can we forget her silver medal from the Olympics in 2021?

The 23-year-old Alabama swimmer has enough awards and honors to fill a couple of rooms.

But there’s one piece of hardware missing.

“It would be nice to have an NCAA championship trophy on my shelf,” White said.

That’s one of a few reasons one of the most decorated swimmers in Alabama history opted to return for another season. Before she takes aim at the NCAAs, White and the Crimson Tide turn their attention to the SEC Championships in College Station, Texas, which start Tuesday.

White, a graduate student, also came back because of unfinished business. After last season ended with the Crimson Tide women’s team taking fourth in the NCAA Tournament, senior members of the women’s team gathered in the student lounge at the Alabama Aquatic Center.

One senior voiced her decision to return. Then another. And another. Eventually, Alabama had the core group from last year returning.

“It was a form of peer pressure, but a good version of it,” White said. “We wanted to accomplish some team goals that we hadn’t done before.”

White is the reigning SEC champion in the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke, and was a silver medalist in the 100 backstroke at the NCAAs.

While she wants to help Alabama compete for the SEC and national titles, White's also got bigger plans. She got a taste of Olympic success at age 15 when she made a trials cut in Utah. That provided a spark. Earning a silver medal at the Olympics in Tokyo left her wanting more. It's another reason she came back to Alabama—to train for the Paris Games in 2024.

“It’s exciting I’ve been given this opportunity for my fifth year. I know a different swimming life is coming,” she said. “It's a much different swimming world from training camp in Tokyo than here. It’s given me an opportunity to see how easy it is to be a college athlete. They give you everything. I’m excited to grow up and take that next step.”

White won a silver medal as part of the U.S. 400-meter medley relay team. She missed out on a couple of bronze medals in the 100 and 200 backstroke, taking fourth in both events.

She will try to qualify for the Paris Games next year in the Olympic Trials. She plans to compete in the 100 and 200 backstroke. She competes in the butterfly and freestyle.

“I can’t do breaststroke to save my life,” White said.

But it’s the backstroke where White has made her career.

“It comes more naturally to me,” she said. “The 200 back is like my baby. Any time I swim it, it’s a challenge.”

White’s competed across the world; Japan, The United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Croatia and Budapest. A trip to Paris in 2024 would be pretty special.

Before that, though, White is set on competing at the SEC Championships for some unfinished business.

“I think we have a really good chance,” White said. “We’re ready.”

2023 SEC Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving Championships

When: February 14-18, 2023
Where: Rec Center Natatorium, College Station, Texas
2022 champions: Men, Florida; Women, Tennessee
To Watch: SEC Network+

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