University of Massachusets Athletics
Inside the Goggles with... Jocelyn Yuen
October 23, 2014 | Women's Swimming & Diving
The second installment of a weekly series where UMass Athletics catches up with members of the Swimming & Diving teams for a Question & Answer session! Next on the blocks is Jocelyn Yuen.
Jocelyn is a junior Biochemical & Molecular Biology major from Princeton, N.J. She is the school record holder in the 100 & 200 butterfly and the 200 individual medley. She is also a 4-time member of the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll.
How would you describe this team in regards to personality and work ethic?
"Personality wise, I would say that we have great personalities. What I like about our team is that we all like to have fun, but also work hard at the same time. I think that at every practice, we put in 100 percent effort and are positive and have a good time as well."
Who are some of your teammates that best fit that description of personality and work ethic?
"I think Meriza (Werenski) has a great personality and she is definitely one of our hardest workers. We have people like Molly (Smyth), who is always working hard and giving 110 percent effort. I would also say Sophie Hornby because she brings the personality to practice and keeps it interesting."
In what ways have you grown at UMass?
"Personality wise, I have grown. Being part of a team has helped me come out of my shell a little more. Being around a team helps you be more sociable and I think I have grown to enjoy college more because of that."
How would you describe your coach Newcomb?
"Bob is a great coach. He cares about all of us so much. He wants the best for us so he is always is supportive of us, in the pool and out of the pool. He is always supportive and always trying to help us figure stuff out."
How would coach Newcomb describe you?
"I think he would definitely say I was one of the weirdest people on the team. A total big goofball. I'm always one of those people who at practice would say "Hey Bob! What are we doing for practice today?" and he would be like, "Oh god, is Jocelyn going to go crazy today?"
What are some of your earliest memories of swimming and diving?
"If you wanted an embarrassing one. When I was 7 or 8, I was swimming at a meet, there was a false start but I didn't hear the starter make the noise for the false start, so I finished my whole race before realizing that there was a false start."
Did you play any other sports growing up?
"I did cross country and track through middle school but that was pretty much it."
Do you have any siblings that play sports?
"I have two older sisters that are also both swimmers."
Is there any family rivalry?
"Not really because they are both a lot older than me. One is eleven years older than me and one is six years older than me, so we never competed against each other."
Who is the best singer and who is the best dancer on the team?
"I would say that the best dancer goes to Jess Murphy. The best singer goes to Carly Biron."
Who is the funniest on the team?
"Sophie Hornby."
Who is the most intense while competing?
"The most intense while competing would be Molly Smyth."
Where do you like to hang out on campus?
"Either in the dorms, where most of the people on team are or in downtown Amherst, there is a place that has Bubbletea and we go there sometimes to chill."
What piece of advice would you give a young person about being successful in life?
"I would definitely say that to be successful in life, you need to do something that you actually like to do. I think, at least with swimming, I stick to it because I like to do it and academic wise, I just switched majors because I realized what I also wanted to do in that aspect of my life. I think that has made me a lot happier so I think that if you do something that you are happy with doing, you will stick with it and you'll push yourself to be successful."
