Anne Mummery tried every sports she could until one stuck. One day, she discovered swimming and never looked back.
The Durango High School senior signed a National Letter of Intent to swim for Pepperdine University, a private university in Malibu, California. She will swim Division I for the Waves in the Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference under the guidance of head coach Nick Rodionoff.
“When I visited the campus, I just could not say no,” Mummery said Tuesday during a early-signing ceremony at the DHS library. “The academics there are really strong. They had my major (business managment) and the swimming program is really good there.
“I also wanted to go somewhere warm.”
Mummery, daughter of John and Mary Mummery, was surrounded by family and friends Tuesday while making her commitment official. At her side was longtime Durango Swim Club coach Suzanne Johnson, who recalled the first practice Mummery ever attended as a 9-year-old.
“The first day she came to practice she was in a bikini. She had a hard time making the intervals we were going for,” Shieltz said. “She was OK, and I thought she could get better. She was gone for a few weeks because she was sick, but she came back with a new suit and saw how things were going.
“She really came along fast. The last few years she really dedicated herself.”
Johnson said Mummery has always been a good listener and was never afraid to ask questions in search of progress. Her desire to learn pushed her swimming career further.
John Mummery recalled his daughter’s first competitive meet. Swimmers were to swim down the length of the pool and back. By the time Mummery had completed her swim, the rest of the young swimmers were still on the opposite end.
“She looked back thinking she had gone too quick and had jumped before the whistle. She was getting ready to cry,” John Mummery said.
“Those were the days,” Anne Mummery joked.
Mummery has been one of the top swimmers in the Durango Swim Club in recent years. She qualified for the Western Zone meet last summer and competed against swimmers from all over the Pacific Coast. At the zone meet, she qualified for the finals in the 100-meter backstroke and finished 27th in 1 minutes, 8.71 seconds. The time was two seconds faster than her previous personal best.
“I always dreamed of swimming in college,” Anne Mummery said. “Definitely if I didn’t have swim club I wouldn’t be here today.”
Mummery is at her best in the backstroke but also competes in relays and freestyle events. She owns the Durango High School records in the 100 free and 100 backstroke and, as a freshman, was a member of a relay team that set a school record.
Mummery will also get a chance to compete against Durango High School alumna and current University of Hawaii swimmer Brooke Kniffin while at Pepperdine.
Rodionoff is in his 16th year leading the Pepperdine program and is the two-time conference coach of the year. He has coached five women to 10 conference championships and four to six NCAA Championship appearances.
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for Mummery. She fought through back issues but continued to show growth each year with the Demons and her club team.
“She really succeeded through the whole process,” Johnson said. “The work she has put in has been impressive.”
Mummery said she chose swimming because she loved being able to track her progress in an individual sport. With the resources of a Division I program, there is no telling how much she can continue to improve in coming years.
“Now that I’ve signed for college and don’t have that over my head, I really want to have a fun senior year and place highly at state,” Mummery said. “I want to have a good last year of swimming for my high school.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
