Ian Stutts has always poured his heart into everything he does, from swimming to schoolwork to extracurriculars and more! His swimming started as a casual summer activity, but it quickly became a full-time commitment, with early mornings, long practices, and an unwavering passion for the sport. Now, after more than a decade of hard work in the pool, Ian is headed to NC State to continue his swimming career and his studies in marine sciences.
Ian began his journey into swimming when he was only 6 years old. He started with his neighborhood’s summer league and began swimming year-round when he was eight years old for the Marlins of Raleigh, the team he has been on for the past ten years. He played basketball, soccer, and baseball throughout middle school; however, he decided to focus exclusively on swimming at around 12 years old because of his immense love and passion.
Some might be surprised to hear of Ian’s intense swimming schedule. He has morning practice from 5-6:30 on three days of the week, two-hour practice every afternoon after school, and two and a half hours of practice on Saturdays, for a total of nine weekly practices. When asked if he faces burnout, he commented, “It’s definitely a lot … getting up at four in the morning isn’t fun …” However, like most activities, swimming is better with friends, and Ian enjoys hanging out with fellow senior Alex Townsend both during and outside of swim practice. Thanks to this, he says, “it’s not that hard to keep going.”
During his journey, Ian has faced hardships that he has had to overcome. “I’ve had a few overuse injuries … it’s a lot of shoulder use when swimming,” he says. However, Ian has always bounced back from the obstacles he has faced, showing his aptitude and resilience. “I’ve had a few points during my career where I’ve had to dial it back a little bit, but I wouldn’t say it was super challenging,” he says.
Although Ian is on the Enloe swim team, he doesn’t practice with Enloe; he often practices with his club team instead but still participates in the Enloe meets. Because of this, he sometimes feels that he isn’t fully a part of the Enloe team; however, he says, “[Swimming for Enloe] honestly feels more like a team than club swimming … representing Enloe is a lot of fun [as a team].”
Ian has won many awards throughout his swimming career. “All four years of high school, I’ve been an Academic All-American,” he says. The award honors student-athletes who have performed well academically and athletically while regularly competing for their team. He earned a state record for high school and even participated in the Olympic swimming trials last year.
While Ian isn’t sure what exactly he plans to do after college, he will be studying marine sciences with a focus on oceanography at NC State. When asked why Ian chose this university, he said, “My dad went to State, my grandpa went to State, my mom was a State fan, so I’ve been a State fan my whole life. Even if I wasn’t swimming, I would’ve gone to State. It was so awesome to get the opportunity to go to State and swim there.”
Ian has many hobbies besides swimming. Like most Enloe students, he tries to finish his homework as soon as possible to have free time on weekends. Even though he finds it a little difficult to balance school and swimming, he still manages to make time for other activities like hanging out with friends and watching TV. Above all, he comments, “I’d say the number one thing is probably [a] nap.”
Ian also had some inspiring advice for other athletes. “If you’re dedicated enough, if you like it enough, you’ll keep getting better and eventually you’ll find yourself in a position you want to be in,” he says. Keeping this in mind, we wish Ian the best of luck in his future endeavors at NC State and everything beyond!
