With a full season of hard work and dedication, Benilde-St. Margaret’s senior, Emma Rudowsky, won a Class AA state championship in swimming—the 500m Freestyle.
Swimming since eighth grade, Rudowsky developed both skill and resilience, steadily improving her times in the 100 and 500-yard fly. Her commitment paid off at the state meet, where she pulled ahead in the finals to secure the title. Being a senior, this was her last time swimming at BSM, but this is certainly not her final chapter, as Rudowsky will swim at the collegiate level at Boston University. As her last season in a BSM cap, she was motivated to make it her best season yet for herself and others. “What motivated me the most was that it was my last time swimming for BSM, and there were a lot of younger kids on the team who I know look up to me, so I just wanted to make it a good season for them and make it memorable,” Rudowsky said.
Rudowsky’s road to state was full of challenges. She spent much of the season swimming alone, which she admitted could be discouraging at times. Despite this, she maintained her regular, rigorous training routine, trusting that her consistent effort would prepare her for the big races. This hard work certainly paid off. Rudowsky placed first in the 500 Free with a time of 5:00:84.“The hardest part of training was that I had to swim alone a lot this season, so that can be kind of discouraging, and then I didn’t really do anything different to prepare than I usually do,” Rudowsky said.
One of Rudowsky’s coaches, Alena Paulson, praised not only Emma’s athletic abilities but also her unmatched leadership. Paulson described her as the first one on deck, the first person ready to swim, always encouraging her teammates to put forth their best efforts. She expressed that she also inspired younger swimmers around her and was overall a swimmer to look up to on the team. “Emma is the hardest worker on the team, pushing herself mentally and physically to be her strongest self in all races, and demonstrating to her fellow swimmers that hard work pays off, and that consistency helps make everyone a stronger swimmer,” Paulson said
Entering the state meet, Rudowsky was no stranger to high-pressure competitions. She had won the same events at sections since her sophomore year, which had given her confidence in her ability to perform at a top level. There was a close competitor with Rudowsky’s time at prelims, but she was still the first seed for state. “I was seeded to win originally and at prelims. There was a girl who was really close to my time. So it was going to be a little more of a race than I thought for finals, but when I was swimming, my race pulled ahead,” Rudowsky said.