She was first named “Rookie of the Year” and later, the “Most Valuable Player” for two seasons in a row.

Rounding out her final year at Stuyvesant High school, as the co-recipient of the “Francine Schnarr Memorial Award for Outstanding Senior Swimmer” in the Public School Athletic League. Add in dozens of first-place finishes and school records in multiple events to her seemingly never-ending list of competition qualifications and it’s easy to see why Arielle Aney is a natural in the pool, a modern-day mermaid.

This Scholar Athlete joined the Stuyvesant High School swim team in 2016, while also competing at the highest level with the 92Y Flying Dolphins National Club Team. Aney competed across the United States, including in Florida, North Carolina, and Massachusetts. Never skipping a beat, putting in every last ounce of her energy and commitment.

“I’ve just been doing it for a long time. It’s just my thing. When I’m in the pool I just go as hard as I can and just focus on what I’m doing. At the end of the day that’s the only thing I can control,” Aney said.

And Aney certainly has been doing this for a long time, becoming involved in the sport  in elementary school at seven years old.  She said her parents were always her biggest support system. In sixth grade, Aney moved with her family to Singapore and then also spent time living in Australia. Throughout all the moves and changes, swimming was her one constant.

“I swam everywhere I lived. It’s kind of nice that it’s such a universal sport,” Aney remembers.

When the family moved back to New York City in 2017, she joined the Stuyvesant team as a sophomore. She loved the team aspect, a feeling she says is more prevalent on the high school level than in club swimming.

“One of my favorite things about swimming [in high school] is the team aspect. The best way to make sure a team gets better is to lift everyone up and make sure you’re all working to the same goal. There’s something wonderful about that. I think it makes you work just a little bit harder,” Aney recalls.

It was during the long hours of swim practice that she  was able to work out her perfect approach for winning the 200 freestyle, her favorite stroke.

“It’s something I’ve been working hard at for a long time so I have an incentive to keep working hard at it,” Aney commented. “I love seeing myself improve at it. It makes it all worth it. I always want to be swimming my hardest.”

Helping others improve on their strokes and swim style also became priority for Aney. She volunteered at Elite Pools, coaching all age groups from toddlers to the elderly. For her, it was a great opportunity to step out of her comfort zone and learn how to teach anyone the art of swimming.

“I really enjoyed it because unlike a lot of things, you could visibly see the progress people were making and track their success,” Aney said.

It’s a lot to balance, while also making time to come up for air, but Aney never slowed down, especially when it came to academics. Advanced Placement Chemistry was a favorite class. She said even when it was not easy, she used her inner-drive to maintain focus.

“I guess I’d say [the secret is] discipline. Pushing through swimming is very different than pushing through homework, but the idea of hard work is still a huge part of both of them. You’ve got to want to succeed and then put in the effort to make it happen,” Aney said.

Aney will attend Carnegie Mellon University in the fall where she plans to spend equal hours in the pool and in the chemistry lab. She has committed to the women’s swim team and will major in Chemistry, with a minor in computer science.