Sports Spotlight: Pioneer’s Lucy Mehraban had the courage to walk away – and return

Lucy Mehraban first jumped into a pool at age 5, and just two years later was swimming competitively for the Saline Swim Team. She was very, very good and on pace for big things when she started to lose her stroke for the sport.

She joined the highly successful Pioneer swimming and diving team her freshman year with extremely high expectations. And she didn’t disappoint – even exceeding what most thought was possible for a ninth-grader.

Mehraban finished a very close second in both the 50 freestyle (23.08) and the 100 free (50.86) at the Division 1 State Finals at the Holland Aquatic Center. She also swam on the winning 200 and 400 freestyle relays, capping off one of the most impressive seasons for a freshman maybe ever. She was a four-time All-American and named Rookie of the Year!

But something was off. While the results screamed success, the passion and commitment and drive were sinking – quickly. Mehraban couldn’t find a life preserver or anything else to grab a hold of so before she sunk to the bottom, she simply got out of the pool – for over TWO years.

And just think of this…she says during that freshman year of incredible success she was “just going through the motions.” That’s how good she was at such a young age, but the reasons she was that good might have caught up to her. And it was more than just being burned out.

Now four years later and after a triumphant return – yes, this story has a happy ending – Mehraban is able to talk about those struggles and circumstances around her brave decision to walk away.

“My freshmen year on the Pioneer swim team was one of the hardest times of my life,” she says. “I realized I had lost the passion for swimming and I also struggled a lot with my physical appearance. I was just going through the motions and was never even nervous before any of my races.”

Let’s dive more into the reasons – remember, there is a happy ending.

“When I decided to quit swimming after my freshman year of high school I completely cut swimming out of my life,” she says. “I realized that I did not love the sport anymore. I did not swim for two and half years. Instead, I ran track and cross country for Pioneer. I had always been curious about what my life would be like without swimming.”

Mehraban says she wanted to figure out how great she could be without the sport.

“I wanted to push myself to try new things and live the ‘normal life’ that many swimmers dream of,” she says. “My freshman year I really struggled with the many issues that come with swimming competitively. I struggled with how the chlorine fried my hair, how it dried out my skin, my muscular build, and my overall physical appearance. It was my first year of high school and I felt very self-conscious about how my height (6 feet) and red hair made me stick out of any crowd.”

And here is the bravest part of walking away: “Although it seemed as if no one was on my side with my decision to leave the sport, I knew that it was the right decision for me,” she said.

Despite making the “right decision,” it came with some challenges.

“The hardest part about not swimming for the two and a half years was finding my identity without being a swimmer,” she says. “My whole life I always had swimming to count on and to be there for me when people asked what I was doing. I really struggled with finding my confidence in being someone without my accomplishments within a sport. I also felt like I was letting people down in my life. This time really showed me how many people cared and supported me when I was a swimmer. I continued to work through the problems I had with my physical appearance, and realized that they were not just due to swimming. I continued to try new things and explore my other interests (which sometimes did not work out).”

Mehraban decided before her senior year to return to the pool. Pioneer head coach Stephanie Kerska reached out to her during the summer and wanted to talk. Regret can be a very powerful and haunting thing to live with, and while Mehraban clearly didn’t regret the last two years of her life, sitting out her senior year might be something she looked back on later in life and wish she had jumped back in. Kerska was offering her a chance to jump back in – fully supporting whatever decision she would end up making.

Kerska wasn’t begging, just asking – in fact, she had laid down some rules.

“I met with coach for coffee and we were on the same page with how coming back would be like for me,” she said. “She told me that if I agreed to this that I would have to complete the whole season and that I couldn’t back out halfway through. She told me that she believed in me and knew that I would be able to swim the 50 and 100 freestyle at States and do well. She also told me that my teammates missed me and wanted me back on the team.”

Mehraban agreed to return to swimming. But she did it for one person and one person only, herself. And she set some goals right away – some big goals. “I went into the season just wanting to try swimming again and compete again at States,” she said, which requires reaching certain qualifying times. “The challenges I endured this season were never ending. It seemed as if every week there was something new that I had to overcome. It wasn’t only relearning the strokes and technique, but also getting back the muscle and endurance I had lost over the past two years.”

Like her decision to leave the sport in the first place, the decision to return also was “life changing.” Mehraban fell in love again with swimming and her one-time partner not only forgave her but rewarded her and she also discovered a special family along the way.

“I did not expect that my love for swimming would return like it did and be even bigger than ever before,” she says. “The team environment that we created this year really kept me going. We all worked so hard to not only push each other to be better but also to become a family. The group of girls that I was surrounded with this season truly changed my life for the better. The goal of this season wasn’t to win, it was to work hard and push ourselves to be the best version of ourselves possible.”

That “best version” proved to be the best in the state, for Mehraban and the Pioneers, who finished first in the Division 1 State Finals in November at Oakland University with a dominating 322 points. Northville was a distant second with 218 points. Mehraban finished first at the State Meet in the 50 freestyle (23.07) and a close second to teammate Sophia Guo in the 100 freestyle (49.93) with personal-best times. She also swam on the runner-up 200 free relay and the winning 400 free relay.

Mehraban started her swimming career at Pioneer with four All-American honors. She ended it the same way. In between, she discovered who she was, what it means to be happy and how she doesn’t need swimming in her life but wants swimming in her life.

Lucy, 17, the daughter of Amy and Derek Mehraban, also excels in the classroom. She has a 3.8 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society. She also enjoys modeling and photography. And she loves swimming.

“Shortly after returning to swimming I decided that I wanted to continue it at the collegiate level,” she says. “I talked to many amazing programs, but Louisville really felt like home to me. The coaches and the swimmers on Louisville truly believe in me and my goals for the future. I believe that their team environment will be a great match for me and my future.”

It’s a future filled with plenty of promise, high expectations and no regrets.