Wheaton College swimmer Tess Boyer makes a big splash at national competitions

Tess Boyer hasn't always been a natural in the water.

"I started swimming when I was nine," she said. "The summer before that was the first time I put my head under the water. SO I was not one of those kids that was loving the water always, but I finally got over that hurdle and I found that I liked it and was good at it."

Good is probably not strong enough a word to describe Boyer's current ability. The Wheaton College junior just put in a dominant performance at the CCIW championships that included multiple meet records. Now she's headed back to the D-III national championships as the conference's only representative for a second straight year.

"I'm really excited. This year I'm a lot more prepared, and I know what to expect. I have some pretty big goals. Last year I was more just excited to be there. This year I'm hoping to finish pretty high in 400 IM, and see what I can do in all my events," she said.

"I think the NCAA meet was a big goal for her. Last year she achieved that. Now she wants to go and be somebody at the national meet, not just participating," said her coach Meghan Ayers.

Boyer is no stranger to being ahead of the competition. The Kansas native enrolled in Wheaton College at 16 years old.

"I've always been young for my grade. I skipped two grades," Boyer said. "I went to some very flexible private schools, so it just worked out that I ended up being done with high school at 16. I was looking around for schools and Wheaton was just the perfect fit for me, and my parents were comfortable sending me here at 16. I don't regret it at all."

"I think it's hard to send child away at any age, 18, 16, you know. As coaches we feel we're that extra adult on campus that our athletes can come and talk to," said Ayers.

And while Boyer did go off to college literally hundreds of miles away from home, her mom is apparently never too far away.

"My mom has come to every single meet except for one in my time here so far. She brings the team cookies or treats every time she comes," Boyer said.

She is also majoring in biochemistry as she chases national championships in the pool. She said it's a challenge, but she's loving it, and there will be no skipping ahead this time.

"I definitely don't want to cut my time short here," she said.