Edwardsville's Brady becomes a Lady Statesman as she signs with Delta State
EDWARDSVILLE – Victoria Brady has played a big role in the success of the Edwardsville High School girls swimming program the past several years.
Brady took the next step in her career Thursday by signing a letter of intent to attend Delta State University in Cleveland, Miss., beginning next fall, to swim for the Lady Statesmen, who are members of the Gulf South Conference.
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“Everything just kind of fit,” Brady said. “I really loved the campus and the coach and the team are just amazing. Their team – going there, I felt like I was a part of it, and their coach is a mix between Bob (Rettle, Brady's coach with the Edwardsville Breakers club team) and Christian (Rhoten, the Tigers coach) – they've been my coaches forever.
“Being able to find a coach that was kind of like the two of them mixed was a really great find.”
“It's a good Division II swimming school,” Rhoten said. “They could compete with some of the mid-major Division I schools; when I swam at Eastern (Illinois), we used to swim against Delta State once a year and they were right there with us; they're definitely a good swimming program.
“I think a smaller school like that will suit Victoria; I think she made a great choice in Delta State. It'll help her thrive both academically and athletically.”
Brady has had to overcome some adversity while being a part of the EHS program. “She not only has had to overcome some injuries; she's a very, very hard worker,” Rhoten said. “More than anything, more than any other swimmer I've encountered, she loves racing so much; she'll go out there and race Michael Phelps if you ask her to. She has that kind of competitive drive, which helps her achieve some really fast times in meets.
“She'll put the competition ahead of everything else that she has going on, which is a great attribute and hard to find in high-school aged girls sometimes. Victoria's been competitive and always has been since she was a little girl. That's what sets her apart as far as being able to race competitively like that.”
“My older brother did it,” Brady said of what brought her to swimming in the first place. “He started swimming a year before I did and I was like, 'I have to do everything he does', and I asked my mom if I could join. I wasn't old enough at the time, but when I became old enough, I joined the team.
“I'm really happy. The process has been kind of stressful, but I have a great team backing me up and my parents and coaches have been awesome.”
Brady is undecided on a major at DSU.
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