It has been two years since junior Tori Haag competed in a swimming event, but now she is back and has shaken off the rust pretty quickly.

Haag spent her first two years at Simpson College as a softball player, so she is no stranger to the challenges of collegiate athletics. Softball may not translate well to swimming physically, but the time management skills and work ethic she learned as a softball player help her to balance two sports.

Along with being a dual-sport athlete, Haag double majors in Global Business and Computer Information Systems.

“I do a lot of running around all day and try to make both sports work with my schedule.” Haag said.

Haag says she is a successful swimmer because she just puts in a lot of hard work. Head coach of the Swim and Dive team, Tom Caccia, agrees with her.

“Tori is an exceptional athlete,” he said. “Softball and swimming are completely different in the demands put on the body. She has done very well with making the most of the gifts she has. I think she has done a tremendous job.”

While one of the newer members to the team, Haag is actually one of the older members. This year, the team is relatively young and Haag brings her experience and is a good role model for the younger members of the team.

“Tori is successful because of her commitment to the task at hand.  Whether it is leading a set, scoring points or giving advice to younger athletes, college athletics is different from high school athletics,” Caccia explained. “To be successful at college, an athlete needs to make that transition from what was to what is. Tori has made that transition. She understands that to excel takes more than average commitment. She has made that commitment and as such, has and will continue to be successful.”