Featured Senior: Colin Hakeman

What was your most memorable moment throughout your career at Willamette?

That's a hard question to answer, because it feels like "all of them" as Willamette and the swim team in particular are the first places where I've ever felt I fit in. If I had to pick a specific moment, it'd probably be the NWC Championships my sophomore year, after placing 4th in the 400-yard individual medley alongside Ben Hedman. It was the first time I made the top 8, which I didn't really believe was possible, and it was great to do that alongside a great friend.

Describe your feelings when you found out the athletic events were canceled for the remainder of the year.

I was disappointed and really felt for all the spring athletes who were in that exciting ramp-up part of the season. It was the right call and deep down we knew it at the time, but as one of the major things that's been irrevocably taken away from us, it hurts.

How have you been handling life in quarantine? Are you home or on campus? What's it like learning online and not being around your teammates?

I'm still on campus and have been plugging away at projects and such. Things are certainly isolating and unfortunate, but I've been able to see everyone who's around, and videoconference with others. Fortunately, I don't need a ton of social interaction. The hardest part is maintaining a structure and getting things done, but as things have settled into a new normal that's become easier.

What has your experience as a Bearcat taught you?

Willamette has taught me a lot, but much of it is that I am far more capable than I expected, and that I should leap for the opportunities that make me nervous, because that's where I'll grow. Also, that life's a lot more fun when I am open about what I'm doing, and having fun, because people will accept strange hobbies and unique choices much more than they did in public school.

If you could leave one piece of advice for future Bearcats, what would it be?

Explore widely to find what you love to do, and then jump into it wholeheartedly. Societally, we tend to silo ourselves into little groups, and to an extent this is true at Willamette, but here there are so many opportunities to break out and be both an athlete and a musician or nerd or whatever. So I suggest talking to other types of people, trying things you otherwise wouldn't expect you'd like, and not caring what others think.

What are your future plans following graduation?

Future plans are very much a mess at the moment, because with all the changes it feels like I can barely plan on what next week looks like. Ideally, I'd like to head into a career doing logistics or supply chain management, but depending on options I might end up heading straight into Willamette's MBA or an unpaid internship living at home. There's a lot I don't know and can't predict. I might also be blindsided by an opportunity in something else. It's hard to know.

From their teammates

What was your most memorable moment of Colin?

Benji Troutman: At winter training Colin swam an entire set backstroke because of his shoulder injury but never stopped swimming.

How has Colin impacted you in your sport or in life?

Benji Troutman: Colin always helped me realize that I can push through anything.

Britt Shunn-Mitchell: Colin has been one of the best training partners I didn't know I needed. There is such a stigma in athletics that you always have to be positive and love every second of it if you're really committed and want to improve. Colin doesn't buy into this and lets you know when he hates a set, race or practice altogether. When things suck Colin points it out, but he doesn't sit and mope about it. Colin recognizes when things are awful and when his body is dying, but he never gives up or tries to find an easy way to do things. Colin taught me that we do really hard things to reach peak performance level and its ok to acknowledge the suck as long as you're willing to embrace the suck and not give up. Being distance swimmers together has changed how I train and race for the better.

Daniel Fang: Colin has impacted me in life and in athletics through exemplifying resilience. He has also shown me what it's like to have a passion and pursue it with everything you've got.

What makes Colin special?

Benji Troutman: Colin was one of the most impactful people on our team in and out of the water.

Daniel Fang: Colin was special because he had the most resilience out of anyone on the team. Not only did he swim the hardest events that are swum at a collegiate level, and do it all with a shoulder injury in his last year, but he did it all extremely well.

Is there anything Colin brought to the program that will have a lasting impact?

Benji Troutman: Colin's personality is irreplaceable.

Britt Shunn-Mitchell: Colin has left a lasting impact on the distance group and we will miss him pushing us through tough sets.

Daniel Fang: I think that Colin's impact will be how to push through even when the going get's tough. Whenever anyone thinks something is too hard in practice or in meets, they just need to look at Colin's career and all the amazing times he posted and his commitment to the sport in spite of the difficulty.