2018-19 Women's Swimming and Diving Roster
Gruest, Valerie
Valerie Gruest
- Height:
- 5-7
- Class:
- Junior
- High School:
- Colegio Valle Verde
- Hometown:
- Guatemala
Bio
2016-17: Was a dominant force for the Wildcats as a freshman…Fastest Wildcat in the 500, 1000 and 1650 free…Also on the Northwestern top times list in seven other events…Finished 9th at the NCAA National Championships (3/15) after swimming the fastest 1,650 free (15:55.01) in Wildcat history…Swam the fastest 500 free (4:40.23) in Northwestern history at the Big Ten Championships (2/15), coming in 8th place and earning and NCAA ‘B’ Cut…Finished in fifth at the Big Ten Championships in the 1,650 free…Also came in 23rd in the 200 fly at the B1G Championships… Member member of the 800 free relay team that placed 6th and broke the Northwestern record… Also on on the 400 medley relay team that took 11th… First on the team with 14 first-place finishes… Took first in all three events (1000 free, 200 fly and 200 back) at her first collegiate meet at the Chicago Quad Dual (10/22)…Finished with a team-high 14 first-place finishes…Claimed first in the 200 free, 500 free and 1000 free at the Illinois/Rutgers Triple Dual (10/29)…Swam a season-best 200 free (1:48.91) and 200 fly (1:59.17) at the TYR Invitational (11/2)…Finished the TYR Invitational first in the 500 and 1650 free, second in the 200 fly and ninth in the 200 free…Won all three events (500 free, 1000 free and 200 fly) against Iowa (1/21)…Finished second in the 500 and 1000 free, third in the 200 fly and eighth in the 200 back at the Purdue Triple Dual (1/28)…member of the 800 free relay team that set the school record with a time of 7:06.94 and came in sixth at the Big Ten Championships.
High School: Competes for the Guatemala Swimming Federation and was National Tem member for the FINA World Championships … Competed in the Central American Games, Central American and Caribbean Games, Pan Am Games and Youth Olympic Games … One of the most decorated swimmers in the history of Guatemala for the Central America and Mexico Games (CAMEX) … Finished eighth in the 200m butterfly at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto… Posted three Olympic "B" cuts … Holds eight open national records for Guatemala and seven Central American records … finished eighth in the 20 kilometer prone paddleboard race in the 2014 International Surfing Association World Paddleboard Championships in Nicaragua …
Personal: Named to the Honor Roll in eight consecutive years and posted her classes highest grade point average for eight consecutive years … Chose Northwestern over Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Michigan ... Majoring in arty theory and practice, communication studies and minoring in business institutions
Top Times: 100 fly (1:02.83 LCM), 200 fly (2:12.82 LCM), 400 Free (4:10.80), 800 Free (8:33.28), 800 free (8:39.88 LCM), 1,500 free (16:34.81 LCM)
High School: Competes for the Guatemala Swimming Federation and was National Tem member for the FINA World Championships … Competed in the Central American Games, Central American and Caribbean Games, Pan Am Games and Youth Olympic Games … One of the most decorated swimmers in the history of Guatemala for the Central America and Mexico Games (CAMEX) … Finished eighth in the 200m butterfly at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto… Posted three Olympic "B" cuts … Holds eight open national records for Guatemala and seven Central American records … finished eighth in the 20 kilometer prone paddleboard race in the 2014 International Surfing Association World Paddleboard Championships in Nicaragua …
Personal: Named to the Honor Roll in eight consecutive years and posted her classes highest grade point average for eight consecutive years … Chose Northwestern over Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Michigan ... Majoring in arty theory and practice, communication studies and minoring in business institutions
Top Times: 100 fly (1:02.83 LCM), 200 fly (2:12.82 LCM), 400 Free (4:10.80), 800 Free (8:33.28), 800 free (8:39.88 LCM), 1,500 free (16:34.81 LCM)
GRUEST'S CAREER BESTS:
| Event | Career Best |
| 200 free | 1:48.91 |
| 500 free | 4:40.23 |
| 1000 free | 9:37.23 |
| 1650 free | 15:55.01 |
| 200 fly | 1:59.17 |
| 200 back | 2:03.76 |
| 400 IM | 4:29.51 |
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