Owen swimmer inks commitment to Campbellsville University
Abriella Taylor joins former teammate in Kentucky
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
May 21, 2024
Owen senior Abriella Taylor signs a letter of intent, May 17, to compete for the women’s swim team at Campbellsville University. Photo by Fred McCormick
As a child swimming for the Stingrays in the Black Mountain Pool, Abriella Taylor never thought much about competing in the sport at the collegiate level. She simply enjoyed being in the water around her friends and pushing herself to improve.
Those experiences came full circle for the Owen senior, May 17, when family, teammates and coaches celebrated her official commitment to the women’s swimming program at Campbellsville University.
Taylor reluctantly dipped her toe into the sport at a young age.
“My parents forced me to do it, but I’m really glad they did,” she said. “Otherwise, there is no way I’d be here planning to swim in college.”
Beth Rathbone has coached the Stingrays since reviving the youth program in 2014, while leading the Owen Seahorses swim team since 2021. She has been Taylor’s coach for as long as the student-athlete can remember.
“Beth has literally been my coach since I started walking,” Taylor said. “Everything I’ve learned about this sport, and what it takes to be successful in it, I’ve learned from her.”
The swimmer’s path from youth league to high school to a spot on the Tigers roster was a winding one, according to the coach.
“At a young age, she was very serious and a die-hard swimmer,” Rathbone said. “Then she was a typical double-digit-age kid who went off the beaten path and was just there because everyone wanted her to be there, not because she particularly wanted to. But, in high school she really started to understand what she was capable of and what she needed to do to get there.”
Taylor consistently improved at the high school level, as she set a personal best of 29.72 in the 50 yard freestyle in the 2024 NCHSAA 1A/2A State Championship meet last February. She set her mark in the 100 yard freestyle with a time of 1:09.47 as a senior while claiming a Western Highlands Conference Championship in the 100 yard fly, with a time of 1:12.87.
Abriella Taylor, center, celebrates signing with Campbellsville University, May 17, with longtime swim coach Beth Rathbone, left, and Patty Healy. Photo by Fred McCormick
While she shaved seconds off her time in the pool, she emerged as someone her teammates could rely on, according to her coach.
“She grew leaps and bounds in terms of her leadership and her internal drive and ambition,” Rathbone said.
That determination, according to Taylor, has been a motivating factor for years.
“For a while I really wanted to show the adults in my life that I was changing and growing, as a person, and swimming was a great way to do that,” she said. “I wasn’t always known for making the best decisions when I was younger, but committing to this sport, year in and year out, helped me with that process.”
Her time with the Stingrays and Seahorses also allowed her to form long-term friendships with teammates like Chloe Little, who signed with the Campbellsville program two years ago. The Black Mountain swimmers will be reunited in Kentucky.
“I was in middle school when me and Abriella first started swimming together,” said Little, who returned to Owen for Taylor’s signing ceremony. The college sophomore was intrigued a few months ago when she received a text from her Tigers coach.
“They told me there was somebody from my hometown who was interested swimming for us, and asked if I knew her,” Little said. “I was excited to go in and tell them how good she is. She’s very dedicated and I really feel like she’s going to thrive in the college setting.”
Owen senior Abriella Taylor, right, will join her former Stingrays and Seahorses teammate, Chloe Little, at Campbellsville University. Photo by Fred McCormick
While Taylor will bring support and an ability to connect her teammates to the Lions, she will offer something else for Little.
“It’s like having a piece of home there,” she said. “I miss the mountains and I miss Black Mountain, so having Abriella there will help some of the homesickness.”
The opportunity to compete against collegiate athletes is nerve-racking, according to Taylor, but it’s another challenge she plans to embrace.
“I’m so appreciative of everyone who has supported me to this point, and having that support from Beth, teammates and family has given me the confidence that I will be successful in the future,” she said. “This will be a big change, but it will push me to level up and work even harder to improve.”