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Twice is just as nice: Northern Michigan University women’s swimmer Rachel Helm reflects on 2nd national title

Northern Michigan University sophomore Rachel Helm readies for the start of a women's backstroke event at the GLIAC Championships held in the Grand Rapids suburb of Jenison on Feb. 17. She set a conference meet-record of 1:56.38 in the 200 back for her fourth win at the meet and was subsequently named GLIAC Women's Swimmer of the Year. (Photo courtesy NMU)

“I always liked the American side of sport. How teamwise it is and how everyone gets involved.” — Rachel Helm,

sophomore, NMU women’s swim team

——————–

MARQUETTE — Winning two national championships might make some swimmers focus only on having their feet on the final podium, but Northern Michigan University’s Rachel Helm keeps hers on the pool deck at the PEIF.

That’s where her fellow Wildcats are and that’s what enticed her to come from England over to the Upper Peninsula — the chance to be on a team.

“I always liked the American side of sport,” she said at a recent NMU press conference. “How teamwise it is and how everyone gets involved. It appealed to me to come and be involved (in) a team environment.

Northern Michigan University sophomore Rachel Helm reaches the finish of a women's backstroke event at the GLIAC Championships held in the Grand Rapids suburb of Jenison on Feb. 17. She set a conference meet-record of 1:56.38 in the 200 back for her fourth win at the meet and was subsequently named GLIAC Women's Swimmer of the Year. (Photo courtesy NMU)

“In England, it’s not really like that. You don’t compete as a team. It’s very individual, whereas everything here is team. I really like that side of sport.”

She is from Newcastle upon Tyne and had attended Burnside College in high school.

Her team definitely put on a show with the NMU women finishing 16th at the NCAA Division II Championships, their highest finish in at least a decade.

Despite the overall team effort, Helm was still the star as a sophomore who notched her second championship in two seasons with Northern.

She won the 200-yard backstroke in Greensboro, North Carolina, on March 17, with last year’s title coming in a companion event, the 100 back.

Northern Michigan University sophomore Rachel Helm shows her NCAA championship trophy after she won the women's 200-yard backstroke at the Division II national meet held in Greensboro, N.C., on March 17. This was the second straight year she won a national title, taking the 100 back as a freshman in 2017. (Photo courtesy NMU)

This time around, she won her title by finishing more than three-quarters of a second and almost a full body length ahead of the second-place swimmer.

“It was such a relief,” she said. “After the 100 back, it was touch and go, but to do it, I’m really happy. I knew there was a very quick girl in Lane 2 and I couldn’t see her. I just stuck to my plan and I knew if I stuck to that, I’d bring it back the last length and I did.

“The first time was a shock because as a freshman … I was like whoa, but to do it twice was a bit more of a big deal and more serious. To have your name on there twice is a big deal.”

Unlike other swimmers, Helm stays remarkably calm when she’s preparing for a race, though there is one thing that she gets nervous about.

“I’m quite chill beforehand, but once I’m on by the block, I have to make sure that my goggles are firmly on because I freak out that they’re going to come off for some reason after I shake my arms. Other than that, I’m pretty chill. I’m quite good at maintaining nerves.”

Helm also competed in the 200 medley relay that earned All-American status and that might’ve meant more to her than her own huge accomplishment.

“I cried,” she said with a laugh. “It was a relief. I love being on relays. I love the team aspect and I love cheering people on and seeing the team do so well. That’s what makes a sport a sport.”

A month earlier, Helm won four events at the GLIAC Championships in the Grand Rapids suburb of Jenison, setting a meet record in the 200 back and subsequently being named GLIAC Women’s Swimmer of the Year.

Northern head coach Heidi Voigt has built a program full of talented swimmers and divers from all over the globe, especially with the reintroduction of the men’s program a couple of seasons ago.

Getting athletes from different countries to gel together could be difficult, but Voigt said all of the athletes have connected with the program and get along well.

“I think partially why we had that, especially on the men’s side, is when we started that program, we really needed to put our name out there,” she said. “I think there was some hesitancy from Americans who wanted to see how we would develop. Now we have a great male incoming class next year and no foreign swimmers. I think we just needed to get out there.

“It’s so fun with our culture we have on the pool deck and the mutual respect. I think it really brings that team atmosphere and everybody comes from different backgrounds. We just get them anywhere we can, but they really bought into the program and have been great ambassadors as well.”

Voigt also had lots of praise for Helm, not just for what she’s accomplished in meets, but the time and effort she puts into become a better swimmer.

“I love coaching Rachel,” Voigt said. “She’s in tune with her body and she knows when she’s needing more strength work or more kick work. She’s got great ‘underwaters.’ It’s hard to recruit that mentality and you can’t recruit that work ethic.

“Everybody thinks they work hard, but you really don’t know until you get there and see it. She brings it every day and gives it everything she has. That’s what makes a champion for sure.”

Helm will be in Marquette for the rest of the winter semester before returning to England to train over the summer. She said swimming’s popularity is rising there and that competitive spirit will keep her sharp heading into next fall.

“I’ll swim with a lot of younger swimmers now because everyone I swam with now goes to university and don’t swim anymore,” said Helm, who is now the “ripe old age” of 20. “So I’ll swim with a lot of younger swimmers, but they keep me going because they’re so energized.”

Based on how Helm has performed the past two seasons, it won’t take much to keep her battery charged over the summer.

Ryan Stieg can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 252. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal.net.

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