By Herb Benenson, Athletic Communications
When Caroline Piehl first arrived in Berkeley for the start of her freshman year at Cal, she understood expectations would be high in the pool where she would be swimming for head coach Teri McKeever. After all, the Golden Bears had just won an NCAA title in 2011 and were gearing up for a season that would produce another national crown.
But what Piehl didn’t necessarily imagine at the time was the extent of team requirements beyond the confines of Spieker Aquatics Complex, everything from exerting maximum effort in schoolwork to treating others with respect at all times. In other words, doing the right thing in and out of the water.
“I think the greatest thing I’ve learned since my freshman year is to truly be authentic and be true to who I am,” said Piehl, now a senior. “I need to accept who I am, work on my weaknesses and really play on my strengths to be the best version of myself I can be. Coming in the door as a freshman, I definitely didn’t know who I was exactly. It’s just a completely different change from my freshman year to now.”
With barely six weeks left before the NCAA Championships and three months away from earning a degree from the Haas School of Business, Piehl will leave Cal with a long list of accolades that includes NCAA champion, Pac-12 champion and Scholar All-American.
But Piehl’s growth as an individual will have longer lasting implications on her future, and a quick examination of her two stints as team captain provides the evidence. She was first elected to the honor as a sophomore, serving alongside then-senior Caitlin Leverenz, who had just won a bronze medal in the 200-meter individual medley at the 2012 Olympics. Thrust into the position after just one season as a Bear, Piehl was charged with helping lead a group of strong women who were mostly older and more experienced.
As one of eight seniors this season, Piehl serves as a tri-captain with fellow seniors Camille Cheng and Melanie Klaren and clearly possesses more confidence in her management skills.
“Being elected captain at the end of my freshman year told me that I lead by example,” Piehl said. “I’ve led by example all four years, but I think what’s really changed this year is that I’m more vocal and not afraid to say things or give constructive criticism. I’m much more comfortable as a leader. Having two amazing co-captains in Camille and Melanie – we’ve just gotten along so well. There’s no fight for power. The three of us don’t see ourselves as different from anyone else on the team. It’s an honor to represent the team in that way.”
Piehl admits that one of her strong attributes is being goal driven. It has helped her achieve success both in the pool and in the classroom. And while she remains focused on one swim meet at a time – Stanford this week, Pac-12’s at the end of February, NCAA’s in March – Piehl is also preparing herself of her career after college.
In particular, she is taking a unique class with Steve Etter, a lecturer in the Haas School of Business. The class is geared for those who want to enter professional sports and consists of Etter and just two students – Piehl and sophomore Missy Franklin. Over the years, Etter has offered the instruction to previously interested Cal student-athletes who are considering going pro, helping them gain helpful tools and navigate such areas as learning to set up a foundation, personal finance and investing, and how to select an agent.
While Piehl knows that being a professional swimmer is not in her future, she has a great interest in learning with Franklin. Both Piehl and Franklin grew up near Denver, and they swam together with the Colorado Stars before making their way to Berkeley.
![]( "Steve Etter and <a class=")
Caroline Piehl" src="/pics33/320/PN/PNQXRARHHTRPYUU.20150213163016.jpg" alt="Steve Etter and Caroline Piehl" width="320" height="181" data-mce-src="/pics33/320/PN/PNQXRARHHTRPYUU.20150213163016.jpg" data-mce-style="float: right;">“I think the class is extremely beneficial because Professor Etter teaches in a very real-world style,” Piehl said. “I know that this school is unique in that it offers a class like this.”
Ideally, Piehl would land a job where she can combine her sports background with her business degree. She is keeping her options open and is also considering paths in financial services, such as portfolio management or private equity, to begin her career.
Before she gets to that stage, Piehl still has unfinished business in the pool and would love nothing more than to cap her time at Cal with another national championship. She won a team title as a freshman and was on the Bears’ first-place 800 free relay at last year’s NCAA meet. Such results have been a driving force for Piehl since she first suited up as a young swimmer.
“I loved having that prize at the end of each race,” Piehl said. “That got me through to high school and then to college. But what’s really special about the college experience is the team dynamic and how close the team is. I’m not swimming for myself anymore. I’m swimming for 23 other girls. Just being a part of something that’s so much bigger than myself has been really, really fun.”
Chalk up understanding the meaning of team as one more objective reached as a member of Cal women’s swimming & diving.
