Brackman to swim at Wilmington

Photo by Joe Schatz/The Daily Standard

St. Marys senior Hannah Brackman, seated center, will attend Wilmington College and swim for the Quakers next season.

ST. MARYS - With a focus on the future, St. Marys' Hannah Brackman signed her letter of intent Wednesday afternoon to swim at Wilmington College and compete for the Quakers.

"I really like the small town feel of Wilmington, it makes me feel at home," Brackman said. "They have a really great agricultural and academic program there, and I'm excited to prosper in my future career and in the swim program as well."

Brackman is coming off a season where she had top 10 finishes in the 500-meter freestyle and 200-meter individual medley at sectionals. She was also apart of the Roughriders' 400-meter freestyle relay team that finished 18th at districts at Bowling Green State.

Outside of the pool, Brackman hopes to use the opportunity to study agriculture with an idea of returning to the St. Marys community.

"I want to get into either agronomy or horticulture. I'm hoping to spin it toward horticulture, so I can bring back my education to my family farm," Brackman said. "My minor will be in business administration to help develop the business side of it as well."

Wilmington is coached by Michael Branch, who just finished his first season in charge of the Quakers with a 1-6 overall record. They compete in NCAA Division III's Ohio Athletic Conference, where the team finished fifth at the OAC championships in February.

"The coaches were really friendly when I met them. They came to a couple of my meets and were really encouraging throughout the season, and I just liked how welcoming the team was," Brackman said. "I'm really excited to see how I do, how my times will drop and how I'll compare to the other swimmers."