Danielle Mandich

By Kara Walser
UWRF Sports Information

Falcon swimmer Danielle Mandich has spent a lot of her life in a pool. Since she started competitively swimming in the seventh grade, she has spent at least one season a year for seven years on a swim team. This season with the UWRF swimming team marks her eighth year of competitive swimming.

Mandich, a sophomore, has gained a lot of talent and knowledge of the sport because of all the time she has dedicated to it. Some of her greatest achievements are being named all-conference three times in her high school years, going to state her last three years of high school, and being Most Valuable Performer of her swim team in her junior and senior years.

Last year, as a freshman, she placed seventh at the WIAC meet in the 100 free and was voted the team’s Most Valuable.

Along with accomplishments come the struggles to get there. Falcon Coach Bill Henderson explains that Mandich has “improved her start and turns quite a bit since coming to UWRF.” He also says that her biggest struggle has been dealing with a physical problem where her ribs get pushed out of position which causes her discomfort when training and competing.

Being part of a team, Mandich gets along very well with her teammates. “We try to eat dinner together after practice and see each other outside of swimming.”

Henderson says, “Danielle is well-liked and respected by the entire team. She brings a very friendly, agreeable demeanor along with a competitive spirit to the sport.”

As fond as Henderson is of Mandich, she feels the same way. “I have had a lot of swim coaches over the years and I would have to say that Coach Henderson is the best swim coach that I have ever had and I really enjoy swimming under his instruction.”

“While Danielle almost always has a smile on her face, she is a very competitive individual and always wants to race. She likes to be pushed in the races she swims,” says Henderson.

Mandich’s goal for the season is to place in the 50 and 100 free at the WIAC meet.. “It doesn’t matter what place, I just want to get on the podium again,” she says.

Mandich claims that she isn’t “one of those athletes with an elaborate pre-meet routine” so she just tries to get a good sleep the night before.

As a student, Henderson claims that she was a “scholar athlete last season and always maintains her focus on her academics.”

Mandich is majoring in elementary education with a minor in social studies. Her goal is to start teaching second, third, or fourth grade soon after graduation.

With the little free time she has, she likes to be with friends. She also likes too many movies to name and her favorite color is pink.

Her biggest inspiration is her dad, Dan Mandich. “My dad loved hockey as a kid and it was his goal to make it to the NHL. He didn’t start off as the best kid on the ice, but he worked harder than most of them and eventually he achieved his goal. Through his example, I know that with a lot of hard work and determination I can achieve my goals.”

Her parents are Dan and Caroline Mandich of Bloomington, Minn. She has two younger siblings, Joshua and Grace.