Sophomore swimmer Angie Coe did not have her eyes on the 2024 Olympics until just months before the games. After the NCAA Championships, she approached head coach Carol Capitani about wanting to try to achieve her dream of representing Taiwan on the sport’s biggest stage. 

In the Olympic qualifier meet, Coe broke a national record and beat the other Taiwanese athlete who was poised to go. However, her country’s federation announced that the meet didn’t count since she didn’t hit the Olympic standard. 

She flew back to the States disappointed, but also proud. Moments after she landed in San Francisco, still in the airport, Coe received the call of a lifetime. The Chinese Taipei Swimming Association decided to send her to Paris. 

However, the Olympics did not go as planned. 

Although Coe swam well, placing second in her heat during the 200-meter individual medley, she was disqualified for an illegal kick in the butterfly stroke. Initial heartbreak turned into gratitude, as competing at the Olympics was not just a dream come true, but a transformative experience for Coe. 

“I’m not the same person as I was,” she said. “I’m not the same swimmer that I was before the Olympics.” 

While most Olympic athletes got to take a prolonged pause from training and competing after the games, Coe did not get a break the entire summer, which made the start of the semester difficult. While her teammates were elated to get back into the swing of things, Coe was overwhelmed with physical and mental exhaustion, not to mention that she barely had time to process the life-altering experience. 

She leaned on her coaches, Capitani and associate head coach Mitch Dalton, to get through the small rough patch. They gave her an integral piece of advice that resonated with Coe. 

“When the storm comes at you, you shouldn’t run away from it, because eventually it’s going to get you,” Coe said. 

The Texas coaches have established a strong team culture and bond within the program, something Coe did not experience in Taiwan or at her prior club in Illinois. To be part of a unified team where everyone is working towards the same goals is a refreshing and exciting change for Coe. 

Capitani and Dalton have also fostered a safe space and taught her to advocate for herself more. In a world where collegiate athletes are often viewed and treated as a commodity, Coe feels that the Texas program values her as much more. 

“It makes me feel like I’m a human here, like I’m actually somebody that they care (about) and not just a swimmer,” Coe said.