This weekend 48 University of Idaho student-athletes will complete the most meaningful step in their collegiate careers: earning a degree. Each wrote a unique story along the way, including many who found success in Moscow beyond their field of competition. Few students at any university, however, carry the academic credentials of Vandal swimming student-athlete Emily Kliewer. 

A mechanical engineering major, Kliewer will be among the new graduates celebrated Saturday. And if the previous seven semesters are any indication, she will do so with a 4.0 grade-point average.

This fall Kliewer will enroll at Georgia Tech, in pursuit of a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering. Her research will focus on designing materials - specifically acoustic metamaterials and topographic insulators. She will be the third PhD candidate among her siblings.

While PhDs run in the family, Kliewer has forged her own path. Her sisters Kaitlyn and Nicole each attended Florida State, followed by graduate work at Princeton. Kaitlyn is a structural engineer in New York, while Nicole is still completing her schooling. Emily's path out west was made possible by an athletic scholarship. She had her choice of graduate schools because of hard work and the opportunities she was afforded at the University of Idaho.

As an All-American swimmer, a National Merit Scholar and the 2015 Navy Military Child of the Year, Kliewer had a wide choice of institutions to attend.

"I chose Idaho because of the mixture of feeling very confortable with the team atmosphere and it working out really well financially," Kliewer said. "I didn't really expect myself to change as much as I have. The difference between what I expected and what I got was the breadth of ideas. Being here for the last four years has opened my mind to ideas and experiences and given me a ton of new opportunities to grow from."

One of the first opportunities Kliewer took advantage of was her intro to material sciences class as a sophomore. The course, taught by Dr. Mark Roll, opened Kliewer's eyes to the field. After seeking out research opportunities with Dr. Roll, she actively tailored all of her experiences toward material science, leading to an interest in metamaterials and ultimately to the focus of her graduate studies.

In the pool, Kliewer will be best remembered as one of the top butterfly swimmers in program history. She is the second-fastest Vandal all-time in the 100-yard butterfly and finished in the top five at the Western Athletic Conference Championships three times in the event. She ranks among the top 10 swimmers in Idaho history in the 200 butterfly, 100 freestyle and 200 individual medley. The pool is also where she developed many of her ideas about engineering and mechanics.

"Swimming provides an outlet to clear your mind," Kliewer said. "In those hours of training you get to think. You come up with new ideas. It also correlates to engineering. I don't actively think about applying fluid dynamics when I'm practicing, but seeing it come to life and making those connections between what I'm doing and how it translates to movement and performance is invaluable. Making connections like that helps in academics. It helps to think outside the box and bring new ideas to different subjects."

Swimming has also helped Kliewer understand the value of pushing yourself. A competitive swimmer since the age of four, she broke countless records throughout her career. Each record or personal best becoming the next goal.

"With a sport like swimming, there is no such thing as good enough," Kliewer said. "There is always faster. There is always better. That mentality of 'I could always do more, be smarter, go further,' that is how
swimming is making me a better engineer."

Kliewer notes another way swimming has helped with her studies.

"All of my roommates are swimmers and we have a lot of different majors in the house," Kliewer said. "But it makes me think. It makes me better at engineering to have discussions about food science and exercise science. Applying their interests and passions to my work in mechanics and materials is fascinating."

Kliewer's teammates are also high achievers academically and many will join her in walking across the stage Saturday at the Kibbie Dome. A department-high 11 Vandal swimmers and divers will graduate this week: Emily Bruneel, Leah Fisk, Sarah Hall, Nikki Imanaka, Cara Jernigan, Erica King, Kliewer, Janelle Lucas, Aileen Pannecoucke, Lauren Votava and Ana Walters.

In an athletic department with the majority of its teams routinely carrying grade-point averages of 3.5 and higher, the Idaho swimming and diving program has found a way to stand apart year in and year out. The 11 graduates combined for 27 WAC All-Academic awards throughout their careers and helped the Vandals earn the College Swim Coaches Coaches Association of America Scholar All-America Team distinction each of the last 10 semesters.

In the fall 2018 semester, Idaho's 3.62 team GPA ranked No. 17 among all NCAA Division I women's swimming and diving programs. Nine Vandal swimmers and divers recorded a 4.0 in the fall, while 27 team members finished the term with at least a 3.0 GPA.

For the 11 graduates of Idaho women's swimming and diving each path was unique, but each was strengthened by its trip through Moscow. And the University of Idaho is a better place for having them.