The education major was preparing to go to her second practice for the day with her swimming and diving teammates.

Earlier that day, she arrived at Bruner Recreation and Fitness Center shortly after 5 a.m. and swam until 6:15. She got ready, ate “a little bit of breakfast” and made it to Lincoln Elementary School by 7:30 a.m. The senior spent the day teaching first graders and got back to campus with a short break before her 4 p.m. practice.

Marks is learning how to wrangle elementary school students this semester as a student teacher — she hopes to teach second or third grade after graduating this spring — but she has three and a half years of experience wrangling the busy schedule of a student-athlete. During swimming and diving season, Marks swims six days a week — with one to two practices a day, five days a week, and meets on Saturdays. To stay on top of it all, Marks said she relies heavily on her planner and finds windows of free time between classes to study.

While balancing swimming and academics, Marks also has been a member of Gamma Delta, Tomorrow’s Teachers and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Being part of a literary society helped Marks develop public-speaking and time-management skills and she values the community-service opportunities.

“And it’s helped me feel like I know more people on campus,” she said. “I know other people who will support me and I have a bigger support system.” Marks came to IC for swimming and is one of nearly 500 student-athletes who train and compete in the College’s athletic facilities. Renovations and upgrades to Bruner went on in the middle of her IC career thanks to generous gifts to the Inspiring Achievement Campaign. She said the new record board in Coultas Natatorium and the new weight room in the Bellatti Fitness Center have had a positive impact on her experience as a student-athlete.

“I really like the new weight room,” she said. “It’s a lot bigger. There’s more equipment that’s available for us to do the different trainings that we need.”

The last two years, 2018 and 2019, Marks was the Midwest Conference champion in both the 100 and 200 meter breaststroke and was second in the 200 meter individual medley. She was the Midwest Conference Newcomer of the Year in 2017 and made Academic All-Conference in 2019. She holds seven individual IC records and is on five record-breaking relays.

Investing in outstanding athletic facilities provides student-athletes like Marks with the tools they need to compete, helps coaches recruit and build their programs, and provides all IC students with a space to focus on their health and wellness. Recent improvements — including updates to Sherman Gymnasium, Bellatti Tennis Complex and Green Athletic Field — have all contributed to a winning atmosphere as teams compete on their home turf and a sense of school spirit throughout campus and in the IC community.

“When they made other changes, they painted the women’s locker room, so it looks a lot nicer, and they added the athletics mission statement to it,” Marks said. “It’s a nice reminder of why I’m doing what I’m doing.”