One day, she’s competing at the Olympic Trials. Another day, she’s teaching underprivileged kids how to swim. It’s all part of the workload for Bishop Eustace Preparatory School rising junior Alyce Lehman.
The talented swimmer was invited to Indianapolis on June 19 to compete in the 200 meter butterfly event for a spot on the 2024 United States Olympic Team. At only 16 years old, Lehman was a long shot to capture one of the top spots and compete in Paris this summer, but she soaked in the excitement while winning her heat and posting a blazing fast time.
“The experience was just so incredible, and I had such a good time,” Lehman said, explaining that whenever she swims, she knows she is not alone.
“Faith is always a big part in my swimming journey,” she said. “It’s a big part of my pre-race routine. I always say a special prayer that my grandmother told me. It makes me feel like I’m not swimming by myself. Some of these races are very challenging, but I’m swimming with God and for God. With that in mind, how can my race go wrong? It helps me feel less nervous and to trust in God’s plan for me.”
The Olympic Swimming Trials took place over nine days at Lucas Oil Stadium, which is the home of the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. Three temporary pools were set up in the state-of-the-art venue, which has hosted the Super Bowl, NCAA Basketball Championship and College Football Playoff National Championship. Last month, it was the swimmers’ time to make a splash, with all the bells and whistles of the stadium in full effect. After Lehman won the second of seven heats in the 200 butterfly, the cameras showed an extended live shot of her on the gigantic screen overhead.
“Winning my heat was a great experience because when I looked up at this big board in the middle, I saw my face on this giant screen,” Lehman said. “I was thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so cool.’”
The shot was held almost uncomfortably too long in Lehman’s opinion.
“For some reason, they held it on me for a really long time,” she said with a laugh. “I was catching my breath and it was still on me. I was like, ‘All right, guys, I think they got it.’ I thought it was really funny though.”
Lehman’s humbleness surrounding her talent is what makes her such a well-liked local star. Just a month after Lehman was in awe of watching her swimming idols such as Gretchen Walsh and Katie Ledecky, Lehman was giving back her time by teaching third- and fourth-graders how to swim. Now, she was the one being looked up to.
“It was a program through La Salle Academy in Philadelphia,” Lehman said. “We worked with them [the kids], teaching them how to swim and basic skills. For the ones more advanced, we taught them … how to dive into the pool and how to do foot turns. It was really rewarding.”
Teaching children is something Lehman looks forward to, despite her busy swimming schedule. “I like helping these kids because it makes me feel good, and I can see the effects. Each day, they get better and better. It’s sharing my gifts with other people.”
Lehman learned she had one thing in common with one of the young swimmers. “One kid said he wanted to be in the Olympics one day, and I got to tell him I went to Olympic Trials. He thought it was really cool.”
Lehman was able to experience the highest level of swimming competition in the country. Seeded 47th out of 52 women swimmers in the event, Lehman finished 26th overall with a time of 2:13.26.
She also had a lot of support. She flew to Indianapolis with her father and was joined later in the week by her mother and sister, who drove 12 hours each way. Her Bishop Eustace swim coaches also made the trip for support.
“My goal is to come back in 2028 and hopefully be even better. I feel like I learned a lot from this experience,” she said. “I learned how to handle having really big nerves at a really big-scaled competition. I’ll always take that with me, and I’ll use that experience for bigger meets in my future.”
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