On Feb. 1, national signing day took place in the main gym where 7 athletes signed to continue their athletic careers in college. Among these athletes was district champion of the 500 free stroke Lucas Hoke, who is signed to continue his swimming career at Colorado School of Mines.

Hoke grew up playing all types of sports, but none ever stuck until he joined summer league swim. He started to fall for the sport and build up a competitiveness to be as good as he could be. When the option came, Hoke decided he would take on swim as a primary sport and join a club team.

“I started swimming when I was younger, after trying all the other sports, and joined a club swim team when I was 9” Hoke said.

As Hoke got older, his club teammates started to sign to colleges giving him some inspiration. When high school started he decided he would work hard to also get signed to swim in college. It wasn’t as easy as it sounds. Hokes life was very busy, he never had an extra minute to spend that he wasn’t working towards his swim dreams.

“I had to sacrifice spending time with friends, family, and there have been a lot of early mornings and late nights that I’ve spent pushing myself in the water,” Hoke said. “But it’s so exciting knowing that all your hard work has paid off.”

When making his choice in college, not only did Hoke want to find a school that would be great for him to continue his swim career but also a school that would suit him academically. When Hoke was first introduced to the School of Mines’s coaches, students, and academics, he knew it would be the place for him.

“When I met the coach and the team last fall, I knew it would be a great place to continue to swim at,” Hoke said. “They have a super welcoming team with individuals who know how to succeed in and out of the pool and I can’t wait to contribute to that next year.” 

Hoke is all about the team and how he can help his team succeed, even if that means pushing himself as hard as possible. He hopes to get his team to win through his first couple of seasons in tougher meets.

“I’m definitely hoping I can contribute to the team in terms of conference and meet performance next year,” Hoke said. “I think everyone who wants to swim in college wants to help their team win their conference meet or dual meets and that’s one of my biggest goals. I really want to put the work in to help my team achieve success however we define it.” 

Hoke has put in the work over his 4 years in high school and is ready to compete at the collegiate level. He has big hopes and dreams for his next few years athletically and academically and can only work hard to achieve them like he always has.

“Of course, I want to do well academically,” Hoke said. “I know that time management and balancing academics and athletics is totally different in college, but I’m ready to learn and build on my skills from high school.”