South Jersey Magazine - Moorestown / Mt. Laurel

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SJM_WINTER_HS Athletes_1225FINAL.qxp_Feature 12 / 18 / 25 4 : 25 PM Page 2 Meet some of South Jersey’s standout student - athletes who promise to make this winter sports season a memorable one thanks to their talent and determination . 5 : 30 to 6 : 30 , and that’s typical weights and on - land exercises . SJM:Running is a big part of your family , including Audrey DERIVAUX yourparents and your older sister Cadence , who was SJM:Are there a lot of days when you dread waking up at 4 : 30 ? oncepart of this article . Have they all had big influ - AD:Oh yes . When I go to school , people are like , “ Why do you get enceson you ? Haddonfield girls swimming upso early ? ” Sometimes I don’t have an answer , but I just remind ND:Yes . I told my dad there was no way I was doing track in myselfthat it’s part of the training I need to achieve my goals . One of the country’s best swimmers for her age , high school . I was really scared of the mental game , because Derivaux is a member of the U.S . National Team , has it’s so tiring , and I didn’t think I was the type to do this . My SJM:How do you spend your free time ? wonmultiple medals at major meets and recently dadconvinced me to just sign up once , and I did because my AD:When I’m not swimming , I’m either at home or just hanging committed to the University of Texas . She also still freshmanyear was my sister’s senior year , so I figured I could outwith my friends . It really depends on the day . I have a dog , loves to compete for her high school team , one of the do it with her and see if I liked it . I remember the first day at Pumpkin , and I love playing with her . best in the state . practice , there was this really tall , spring bean of a kid named Carlos . I was running right behind my sister and SJM:What do you like about growing up in South Jersey ? SouthJersey Magazine : You have so much going on with Carlos said , “ Who is this really fast girl ? ” From that day for - AD:Haddonfield is a really nice town . I’m originally from Medford allof your commitments in the sport . Do you still have fun ward , I started to like track more because people’s eyes andthen we moved to Haddonfield when I was 5 . I love Haddon - competingat the high school level ? wouldreach me and they were like , “ Who is that ? ” I thought field — Imet some of my best friends there , the schools are nice , I AudreyDerivaux : Yes . I’m a part of Jersey Wahoos Swim Club , it was pretty cool to have people watching me run . haveamazing teachers and an amazing principal , and they’ve anddoing that I’ve made USA teams , so it’s very chaotic and supportedme through my swimming experience . Swimming is a intense.But just being with my classmates during high school SJM:You’ve broken high school records of Sydney sportwhere you travel a lot , so I’m often not in school during swimming , I feel like it’s not a lot of pressure and it’s just fun to McLaughlin - Levrone , who is a superstar in this sport . thesemeets . Just having the support system at Haddonfield is compete . It reminds me that swimming is just swimming and Whatdoes that mean to you ? reallyamazing . there’sno need for pressure . I enjoy doing it with many of my ND:Freshman year , I never even planned to run in college , closefriends . andsophomore year I started to look at the bigger schools SJM:What made you commit to Texas ? andwonder if I could go there , but I still didn’t have the AD : I attended three official visits in September and October : I was SJM:What was the experience like of competing at the times . I slowly started to get better and get some of those atCal - Berkeley , UT - Austin and the University of Virginia . They OlympicTrials in 2024 with the best swimmers in the timesby the end of the year , and junior year I continued to were all really fun visits and very different experiences , which I country ? Was it a confidence boost knowing you can com - runthose times . I started to realize that I could run [ fast ] , but enjoyed . I landed at UT - Austin because they have an amazing peteat that level ? I never thought I could beat Sydney’s records . I remember facilitywith amazing coaches , and I’m excited to get there . AD:Yes , definitely . I remember walking into the stadium and it theday that I tied her , and it was a really big shock for me . was like nothing I had ever seen before . We don’t have arenas like SJM:Your experience at the last Olympic Trials showed you that , obviously , so swimming in something like that was really SJM:When did you start believing that you could per - howclose you are to qualifying for the Olympics . Do you cool . I made the 400 IM final there , so swimming and competing hapsbe an Olympian someday ? haveyour sights on the againstthe best in the sport was just an eye - opening experience ND:Not until recently : My junior year is when I started to 2028Games in LA ? forme . I was able to learn so much from it and I think I’ve grown a think that maybe I could . I didn’t think much of it during the AD:That’s definitely one lotsince that meet . It’s made me a better swimmer . winter , but by the end of the outdoor season , I started to ofmy main goals . I’m realize that I’m able to run with the pros . When I went to run notthere yet but I’m SJM:You have gotten to travel to Romania , Australia and at the pro meet , I started to think I could make it to the workingtoward it acrossour country for swimming . Do you have a favorite Olympics . andputting in the spotthat you’ve been to ? trainingto hopefully AD:Oh , gosh . Olympic Trials was one of my favorite meets , and SJM:What else do you do for fun ? be at that point in Romaniaalso had a cool facility and a cool pool . I think my ND : I constantly try to hang out with all of my friends and 2028 . I need to put favoritepool has got to be the Fort Lauderdale pool or the pool in make sure I get to see everyone . I’m always cooking and inthe work to get Irvine , California . They’re right on the beach , so it’s fun to go to baking , and making sure I do meal prep for workouts . I used there , but I’m those meets , and it kind of takes the pressure off too . It kind of tosew , but I don’t really do too much of that anymore . willingto do it . feels like a vacation , but it’s not . SJM : I saw in a previous interview that you’re a big SJM:Do you ever get a chance to explore and do tourist fanof cannoli cake . Is that something you bake ? things ? ND : [ Laughs ] I wish I could learn how to do that cake . It’s AD:No . In Romania , we literally just went from the pool to the frommy favorite cake store , Sweet Eats . Their cakes are deli - hoteland we didn’t see anything . I know there are a bunch of cas - ciousand if I don’t have one for my birthday , you might see tlesthere , but we didn’t see them . The one time we got to see me crying . somethingwas in Australia — they took us to a zoo at the begin - ning of the meet , so we saw some kangaroos . SJM:Do you like growing up in South Jersey ? ND : It’s great — the only thing that sucks is the weather . I SJM:You come from a family of swimmers , including hate the cold , I just can’t do it , but overall New Jersey is yourolder sister Lilly , right ? greatand I’ve made a great environment with my friends AD:Correct . I also have two brothers — Christopher just grad - here . I love it . uatedfrom West Point , and Charles is a sophomore at Lafayette . We all swam growing up , although Christopher SJM:Do you have a favorite race ? stoppedwhen he got to West Point . They all swam at Jersey ND : I can’t really say I have a favorite . I know the mile is my Wahoostoo … and they’re probably one of the main reasons least favorite — it’s the hardest event in track and field , at why I started . They taught me how to swim and they’ve been least that’s my opinion . I’ve done almost every event you can abig part of my life . They’re the people who keep me going think of and I think the mile will forever be the hardest one . in this sport . The800 , for some reason , is the easiest of the three that I do now . We know it’s not easy , but it’s easier than the others . SJM:What is a typical day like for you with your training The400 might be my favorite because it’s painful but fun , schedule ? and I might like the 400 hurdles more if I got my technique AD:On a typical [ day ] , I wake up around 4 : 30 and then I have prac - down . ticefrom 5 to 6 . I go to school and then I come back for practice from 3 : 15 to 5 : 30 . On Sundays , I’ll have dryland [ exercises ] from SOUTH JERSEY MAGAZINE volume 22 issue 9 SouthJerseyMagazine.com | 19

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SJM_WINTER_HS Athletes_1225FINAL.qxp_Feature 12 / 18 / 25 4 : 26 PM Page 3 SJM : What else do you for fun ? match routine or the way that they wrestle , I like to take cer - CH : When I take a break from training , I like to go down the tain things . I watch college guys on YouTube all the time and ColeHAGERTY Shore , go to the beach , hang out with my friends , go out to seewhat I can add to my game to get better . eat . Washington Township wrestling SJM:Do you think you’re going to stay around the SJM : Do you have a certain routine before a big match ? sporteven after you’re done wrestling ? Athree - time district and two - time region champion CH : I really just walk and visualize what I’m going to do in the CH : I know I want to wrestle all four years in college , and during his stellar career with the Minutemen , match . I always like to be calm — I don’t want to get overly when I have kids , if I have a boy , he’s going to wrestle . I’ll let Hagertyplaced fourth in the state last year at 126 excited , so I try not to show emotion . I just have fun , because him do other sports , but I’ll really emphasize being a wrestler , pounds.He is aiming for a state crown this season as it’s all to have fun , and trust that the training I put in is because I love being around the sport . Coaching is something asenior before moving on to Drexel University . enough to win the match . I’d like to do too . SJM : What’s it like winding down when you come off SJM:More and more girls are wrestling now , so even if SouthJersey Magazine : It seems like just yesterday themat ? Are you able to enjoy the rest of the bouts ? youhave a daughter you can stay around the sport . thatyou and your classmates were making a name for CH:Oh yeah , after my match I like to watch the other athletes CH : I don’t know if I want my girl wrestling . She can play yourselvesas freshmen . Is it hard to believe this is compete.You want to be a student of the sport ; you always soccer . yourfinalseason at Washington Township ? want to learn from someone else . Whether it’s their pre - ColeHagerty : It’s crazy how fast it goes . Everyone says that it’s over in the blink of an eye , and now it’s already my fourth season . Even now , as we’re getting ready for our first compe - tition , the practices are going so fast . SJM : It’s a very talented senior class . Did you all grow up wrestling together ? CH : Yeah , we’re all real close and that make it easier during hard practices , because you know you’re with your boys . We all have the same goal : to try our hardest , to get on the podium together , and to win . SJM : Do you have any individual goals ? CH : Of course , winning that state title is No . 1 . I want to place high at the national tournaments too , like Beast of the East and Escape the Rock . I want to win some matches there and get myself ranked in the national rankings . I also want to win another region title and just keep winning as much as I can . SJM : Did you grow up going to Boardwalk Hall for states ? CH : Me , my mom and my little brother used to go all the time and I always thought it was the coolest thing ever to see the guys walking out on the red and green carpets . It was a goal of mine to be under those lights [ in the finals ] , and I want to make that happen this year . SJM : Did you ever play other sports growing up ? CH : In elementary school I did football , baseball , wrestling , soccer — my dad pretty much put me in everything . I was kind of small , so I just felt like wrestling was my thing . My little brother does baseball , my other brother does football — we all picked our own thing . SJM : What made you commit to Drexel ? CH : I really liked the co - op opportunities . I also feel like the coaches — Mauro [ Correnti ] and [ Matt ] Azevedo — really care about who are as a person . They have a good culture there and it’s a real good school , so I think it will be good for my future . SJM : Do you know what you want to study ? CH : I’m probably going to study accounting . I’m not 100 % sure , but I know I want to do internships and co - ops . SJM : It will be cool being in the city . CH : Yeah . It’s going to be a change , but I like trying new things , so it will be fun . SJM : What do you like about growing up in Wash - ington Township ? CH : I’ve always lived there and I like that it’s a big town . There’s always new cliques and new people to see . I also like that sports are real big there , and if you play sports , you won’t have trouble making friends . Everybody has the same goal of living a healthy lifestyle and winning . SOUTH JERSEY MAGAZINE volume 22 issue 9 SouthJerseyMagazine.com 20 |

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