Freshmen Spotlight: Ava Hoffman & Sawyer Grimes

QUICK SPRINTS

Ava Hoffman

Expected Major: Communications
Favorite Music Artist: Mac Miller
Favorite Place You've Visited: Paris
French Toast, Pancakes, or Waffles: Pancakes
Favorite Book: The Great Gatsby
Go-To Karaoke Song: Brown Eyed Girl
Favorite Race to Swim: 50 Free
Greatest Fear: Heights
Favorite Restaurant: Punch Pizza
Qdoba or Chipotle: Qdoba
Favorite Animal: Sea Otter
Netflix or Hulu: Netflix
Ideal Superpower: Flying

Sawyer Grimes

Expected Major: Forestry
Favorite Hobby: Art
French Toast, Pancakes, or Waffles: French Toast
Favorite Restaurant: Tony's Diner
Favorite Place You've Visited: Disney Land
Netflix or Hulu: Netflix
Favorite Race to Swim: 10k Open Water
Favorite Music Artist: Tyler the Creator
Greatest Fear: Birds
Favorite Animal: Turtle
Qdoba or Chipotle: Qdoba
Favorite Superhero: Thor
Ideal Superpower: Shape Shifting

With 26 incoming swimmers and divers eagerly awaiting their collegiate debuts, there are plenty of new faces to Minnesota's historic program. In an effort to better get to know these incoming student-athletes, Gopher Sports sat down with each to learn more about them prior to the kick-off of the 2020-21 season.

This week's chapter saw freshmen Ava Hoffman and Sawyer Grimes take the spotlight. A four-time MN All-State selection and St. Paul, Minn. native, Hoffman didn't have to travel far to join her new Gopher family. She finished off her high school swimming career in late 2019, earning gold in her team's 200 Medley Relay at the MSHSL Girls Class A State Championships, and plans on carrying that success over to the collegiate stage.

A native of Las Vegas, Nev., Grimes has already reached heights many collegiate swimmers only hope to achieve, tallying Olympic Trials Cuts in the 400, 800 and 1500 freestyle (LCM) in 2019. His 2019 accomplishments don't stop there, however, as he also set the 14th fastest time ever in the 1000 free (SCY) for a 17-18-year-old the same year. Now with his collegiate career underway, Grimes only plans to reach even higher

GopherSports: Why did you choose Minnesota?
Hoffman: "I chose Minnesota for a couple reasons, one being the close proximity to home. But, all of the coaching staff and teammates were really welcoming on my visit and I just wanted to swim for my home state as well."

Grimes: "I chose Minnesota for the team and the coaches. It felt like I was really cared for here and like they wanted the best for me, not only physically, but in my school work and mentally as well. I just really felt at home here."

GS: When did you first start swimming, and how did you get started?
Hoffman: "I first started swimming when I was in sixth grade. I was just on this GA team, and I didn't get really into it until my freshman year of high school. I played soccer before that as my main sport, but then I switched to swimming. I really loved the team and just decided then that swimming was for me."

Grimes: "I started almost 13 years ago. I actually started by taking lessons with lifeguards at a YMCA with my brother and sister. Then, when I was 7 or 8, one of the Sandpipers coaches came into one of my lessons and told them that I needed to get into swimming, so I registered."

GS: Who has been your biggest influence/inspiration throughout your career?
Hoffman: "Probably the Assistant Varsity coach for my high school team, Meghan Weiss. She swam for Minnesota in college, and she really motivated and pushed me when I didn't believe in myself. She really helped me through swimming. She was really supportive and happy that I decided to come to the 'U' and she thought that I would really like it."

Grimes: "My dad. He's never swam, but just his work ethic. He's a firefighter, so he's always been very work orientated, and he's just always inspired us to do our best. Even if it's not that good, as long as you're doing your best, you're doing good. He and my mom loved it when I told them I was coming here. They kind of knew that I was going to go here, but they were really excited."

GS: What is your most memorable moment of your swimming career?
Hoffman: "State my sophomore year. We had DQ'd our medley relay and two of our swimmers, so we didn't think we could win, but everyone ended up swimming to their best ability, and we won which was really cool. It was like the drawback just pushed us more."

Grimes: "When my little sister got her trial cut at NCSAs in 2019. I was really proud of her for it, and it was the same day I got one of my trial cuts, so that was a really big moment for us. I was able to give her her medal and she was able to give me mine so it was a really cool moment."

GS: How has the transition from high school to college been treating you thus far, and what has been the biggest change you have noticed?
Hoffman: "It's been a shift for sure, but honestly my teammates and friends here have been great at helping me and getting me through everything. It's just nice to have them to fall back on and their support helps me every day. The biggest change I've seen so far is just that I'm way more tired. I'm not used to swimming doubles so that's probably why, but I know it'll be good for me in the long run."

Grimes: "From a school standpoint, I've been homeschooled my whole life. I was homeschooled at a young age and I just kept on doing it for swimming to have an open schedule. So, the online school hasn't been a huge change for me which has been nice. On the swimming side, Coach Jeff has always really worked with me trying to get my yardage up to what I used to do at Sandpipers or even more, so it's been really awesome."

GS: Being a Gopher is about more than just scoring points in the pool. What is a quality you have brought to Minnesota that you think will bolster this Gopher culture?
Hoffman: "My high school only had about 90 girls, so on my high school and club swim teams, the community that we built was really family knit. I think bringing that same family knit community with me to Minnesota will be really beneficial, from leadership to just reaching out to younger swimmers when they arrive. I think that will really help the whole team bond and make a lasting impact."

Grimes: "Team positivity. I think that plays into every team, everyone can bring it, and I think that's a huge thing to add to any team. Always being there for each other, not only in the pool but outside the pool as well. Especially through COVID-19, it's been hard having to social distance and not being able to be with each other as much, so even things as small as texting each other wondering how they're doing with all of this."

GS: What is something you are looking forward to in your time as a Gopher?
Hoffman: "I'm just really excited to see how much I improve. There aren't really any upcoming events I'm looking forward to yet, I'm just kind of focussing on the right now."

Grimes: "Making NCAAs. I would really love to compete in and hopefully win the mile there, but just the chance would be incredible."

GS: Outside of training, how do you mentally prepare for meets?
Hoffman: "Normally, I don't do anything too special, just listen to music. Sometimes I will visualize my races and that really tends to help me calm my nerves down a little bit."

Grimes: "One thing my coach back home always told me that has really stuck with me is when you're going to a meet, to just trust in the process. Trust in all the training you've done. Don't worry about the technique or anything, just go out there and swim because you know what you're doing and you just need to trust in yourself and the process."

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Players Mentioned

Sawyer Grimes

Ava Hoffman