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Melissa Schafer was a state final swimmer at Jamesville-Dewitt high school in 1998. Schafer’s daughter, Madeline Owczarzak, has followed in her footsteps as one of West Genesee’s top swimmers, but the environments they compete in are completely different.

Owczarzak has dealt with mental burnout throughout her high school career, stemming from the intense workload of high school swimming. Schafer, meanwhile, said that mental health wasn’t talked about during her career.

“Athletes in particular need to have their mental health needs taken seriously, and not just ignored (and told to) swim more laps,” Schafer said.

Owczarzak was called up to West Genesee’s varsity squad in eighth grade. Ever since, she’s completed a grueling swimming schedule that includes practice before and after school. While mental health was brushed aside during Schafer’s career, Owczarzak has made strides while advocating for the mental wellbeing of athletes.

Owczarzak’s club swim coach with the Cato-Meridian Otters, Jim Funiciello, said it’s necessary to train year-round to become a Division-I swimmer. He said that Owczarzak and her teammates would practice before class at 5:30 a.m., and after school they’d have practice and weight training at 3 p.m.

Because of this intense schedule, Owczarzak wanted to get her mind off swimming. So, following her freshman year, she began powerlifting in the winter. She called the experience “more of a one time thing,” saying that swimming burnt her out.

To deal with fatigue, Owczarzak said she tries to take days off to reset herself. She also said switching up elements of her training has helped out, including focusing more on dryland training.

As she went through mental struggles, one of her teammates, Emily Kurz, told her about an organization called Morgan’s Message. Kurz is an ambassador for the program, which is made up of athletes that provide help to fellow competitors going through mental health problems.

In 2017, Duke women’s lacrosse player Morgan Rogers suffered tears in her ACL, MCL and meniscus. After a lengthy recovery process, she walked away from the sport. Rogers committed suicide in 2019 as the injury took a deep toll on her.

Rodgers’ mother, Dona, started Morgan’s Message to provide a mental health space for athletes that need it. Owczarzak was inspired, and joined the program as an ambassador.

“Really we focus on ending the stigma around athletes and mental health and letting people know that it’s okay to experience burnout and mental issues during your seasons and that it’s okay to ask for help and checkout resources,” Owczarzak said.

Schafer emphasized her daughter’s passion for Morgan’s Message. She added that, unlike when she competed, an athlete’s mental health should be given more attention in today’s world.

At the same time, Owczarzak is trying to emulate her mom’s legacy in the pool. Funiciello said while the two share similar talent, they excel at different areas.

“[Schafer] was more of a natural butterflyer,” Funiciello said. “Different stroke than [Owczarzak] is.”

Owczarzak mainly competes in the 100-meter freestyle but she’s also developed skills in the 200-meter race.

“I dropped a lot of time with my 200 free and that was pretty good,” Owczarzak said. “My coach [Robert Marks] always believed that I was a 200 freestyler and I did not believe him, but I did pretty well on that.”

In Owczarzak’s freshman year, she finished second in the 100-meter freestyle at the Section 3 Class A Girls Finals. This season, Owczarzak has placed first in the event in two dual meets. But in each of her first two campaigns, she did not qualify for the state championships.

Entering her sophomore year, Owczarzak is determined to drop time to make the state cut and continue her mother’s legacy.

“I think it’s very important (to carry on the legacy) and I think that there’s a lot of legacies in the area,” Owczarzak said. “My mom knows so many coaches here that still coach and so many people’s daughters who I swim with. And it’s really cool.”

Published on September 20, 2023 at 11:33 pm