Ashley Brewer is an emerging star for Texas, one who is probably most known for her decorated sports family. Yet Brewer, a sophomore and one of the key members of the Longhorns’ swimming team, walks a path all her own.

“I started swimming at five years old and just had a natural feel for the water,” Brewer said. “All of my siblings started with swimming but I was kind of the natural of the family and fell in love and stuck with it.”

Although becoming a competitive college athlete is difficult, Brewer found deciding where to go to school to be just as tough.

“I wanted to go to UCLA because both my brothers played baseball there, and I grew up loving USC,” Brewer said. “But I couldn’t turn down the program, coaches and the team at Texas.”

With a natural ability and recognition of her amazing opportunities, the 12-time high school All-American hopes to take it as far as possible.

“I’ve been so blessed to swim in college, but I want to swim in Olympic trials, which I’ll be doing next year,” Brewer said. “And I would love to win a national championship here with Texas.”

While a price cannot be placed on winning either competition, one holds a special place in Brewer’s heart.

“I think it would be so awesome to be a national champion,” Brewer said. “But I’ve always dreamed of standing on a podium with a medal so I would totally want to be an Olympic gold medalist.”

Brewer’s motivation stems from the group that has always been her biggest support and competition.

“It’s so much fun in my family, and we grew up constantly playing games together and trying to beat each other,” Brewer said. “And there was always just a standard of excellence in my house where my parents would push us to always be the best, which definitely helped us get to where we wanted to go.”

Competing is a big part of an athlete’s life. However, it’s not everything for Brewer.

“I do Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and I help lead a bible study for all the Texas women’s athletes so I am very involved in my faith,” Brewer said. “I want to be a sports broadcaster, so getting established with communications is a big goal for me.”

Through her ambition and athletic prowess, Brewer will never fail to be recognized for her own accomplishments.

“When I leave, I would love people to just remember me as being a great leader, a motivator to my teammates and for helping others become better people in their faith,” Brewer said. “Those are the most important things to me.”

Printed on Friday 21, 2011 as: Brewer wants wins, hopes to lead team to postseason again