Eight-year-old Annabella Drew has been making a splash as a competitive swimmer with the Upper Arlington Swim Club for the past two years. When she is not busy at Scioto Ridge Elementary, Annabella works hard under the tutelage of Coach Barb to hone her skills, leading to an impressive list of achievements for such a young athlete.

Annabella is a talented swimmer who excels in breaststroke, freestyle, backstroke, and the Individual Medley (IM), an intense event requiring mastery of those three strokes plus the butterfly. Her exceptional talent has earned her seven State Champion titles. This year, she was named 1st Place High Point Winner at the Barbara Kay State Championships, an accomplishment shared by her older sister, Angelina. Stepping onto the gold medalist podium at her championship meet was undoubtedly the proudest moment in Annabella’s swimming career thus far.

Swimming brings Annabella joy, from the feeling of speed as she races across the water to the many friendships she has made. Thanks to her swimming career, she has had the chance to travel all over Ohio, Indiana, and Florida. In Naples, Annabella cherishes the memory of a beach party her team enjoyed rather than participating in finals.

Annabella is sure that swimming will remain central to her life. She envisions swimming in college and expanding her aquatic adventures to SCUBA diving. Inspired by her heroes, Olympic gold medalists Adam Peaty and Lily King, Annabella dreams of standing on an Olympic medal podium one day. During her sister’s MidStates All-Star meet, Annabella even had the privilege of meeting Lily King in person.

Annabella shares her wisdom for fellow kids who would like to explore a future in competitive swimming: 'It’s a lot of hard work, so you gotta love whatever you do!'"