The following is a spotlight profile on Hannah Gouger, one of two University of Richmond nominees for the prestigous NCAA Woman of the Year award. The Atlantic 10 had 15 institutional nominees for the award (READ MORE). Each weekday until July 22, the Atlantic 10 will profile one of the institutional nominees.
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SNAPSHOT
Sport: Swimming & Diving
Major: Business Administration/Marketing
Hometown: Cockeysville, Md.
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Hannah Gouger
PROFILE
Hannah Gouger was named the Atlantic 10 Most Outstanding Rookie in 2017 and Most Outstanding Performer in 2019. She qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2019 and was one of only three Richmond Swimmers to win two events in all four years at the A-10 Championship. She holds the Richmond program and A-10 records in the 200-yard backstroke and sits second all-time at Richmond in the 100-yard backstroke. Gouger also received the 2018 Richmond Female Athlete of the Year award and the 2020 Richmond Female Determination Award. She taught swim lessons to at-risk youth through the Youth Life Foundation of Richmond, volunteered with the Assistance Center of Towson Churches and Food for Thought, and attended both the Champion Leaders Winter Sports Cohort and Spider Athletic Leadership Institute. She was also a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Gouger was also named to the Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team and the Dean’s List.
Q&A WITH HANNAH
What would you consider the top moment of your college career?
I would say the top moment of my career was qualifying for NCAAs my junior year. It had been a goal of mine since I was a freshman so finally achieving that goal was exciting. I felt like I finally saw all of my hard work and sacrifices pay off.
What is one thing you would go back and do differently if you could?
One thing I would do differently if I could go back would be to enjoy my last few weeks before conference a little more. I was super focused on doing well at my last A-10 championship that I didn’t get to have as much fun as I usually did. I was going to be training in Richmond through June, so I knew I had more time left in my career and that this wasn’t the end. But then COVID-19 changed everything. I didn’t know that what ended up being my last practice with the team would be my last practice with the team.
If You Could Know the Absolute and Total Truth to One Question, What Question Would You Ask?
Does hard work truly beat out talent when talent doesn’t work hard?
Who or What has been your biggest inspiration or motivation?
My biggest inspiration would definitely be my mom. She is such a strong woman and has always been my biggest supporter in and out of the pool.
What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received? The worst?
The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given would be to always be grateful. Even when you’re having a rough time, being grateful for what’s around you has potential to change your mood for the better. The worst piece of advice I’ve received is that success is determined by accolades. There is so much more that determines success than solely grades and awards that you’ve received.
Pick one song that would describe you and one that would describe your team
“Dancing in the Moonlight” by King Harvest
What Was your favorite class/professor and why?
My favorite class would be Marketing Research with Dr. Mier. This class was a lot of hard work, but I was able to apply the concepts I learned in order to help a local Richmond business solve a marketing problem of their own.