Mary Washington junior Abby Cox is an exceptional athlete and a consummate “team player.”  In the classroom, her focus is on the environment, and she wants more people to help improve the world in which we live.  The 2014 CAC Co-Women’s Swimmer of the Year was as excited about a teammate’s national record-setting performance as she was about her own success.  INTRODUCING … Abby Cox.

Briefly, what is your background in the sport you play?   I started swimming when I was five on a summer league team. After trying nearly every other sport growing up, I figured out that I was not born to play land sports. Striking out in t-ball and tripping over the ball in soccer are not my finest athletic moments. I kept coming back to swimming every summer, and then joined a club team, Arlington Aquatic Club, and started swimming competitively after that.

What is your major in college, and what is the most important thing you learned in that discipline?   I am an Environmental Science major, with a minor in Economics. The most important thing I have learned is that every choice we make has an impact on the world around us, and that small changes you can make in your daily life can make a difference. Environmental Science can sometimes be a dismal major because of all the problems we currently have, but I have had really great professors here who emphasize the importance of solutions and remedies to lessen the impact of human actions.

What is your favorite spot on campus?   This may be cliché, but I would have to say our pool. Although, there are many of times when the pool is the last place I want to be (i.e. at 5 am, in the middle of a rough week), I love training and my teammates are awesome. I especially love the huge windows/doors in the pool because I love seeing the sunrise every morning and watching the trees change in the fall.

Outside of your home and campus, where is your favorite place visit?   My favorite place is Long Beach Island, N.J.  My aunt and uncle have a beach house and it has always been my favorite vacation spot because it is so quiet and relaxing.

Other than your team, what organization (s) do you participate in (on campus or off campus)?   I’m in the Honor’s program, and Chi Beta Phi, the math and science honor society. 

Briefly describe the most memorable experience during your collegiate athletic career.   There is definitely a tie for my most memorable collegiate athletic career. One would be last year at conferences, winning four events and winning our 24^th straight championship as a team. The other moment would be a couple weeks later, watching Alex Anderson win the 400 IM and break the national record at NCAAs. The whole team and some other UMW athletes were watching the live stream and screaming and cheering him on, and when he won, everyone had goose bumps. Alex is such a great teammate and role model, so it was awesome to see him be the best.

Other than your family members, who was the most influential person in your life?   My teammates are the most influential and inspiring people in my life. They have taught me a lot about swimming and life, and they push me everyday to be the best athlete and person I can be. 

What is the most important societal issue facing college students?   In my opinion, the most important societal issue facing college students is the pressure to succeed. It comes from coaches, professors, family, and ultimately from ourselves. So much now is focused on getting a good grade in a class, or getting that summer internship, and it is negatively impacting all of us. Everything is a competition, and in some ways that is beneficial, but it comes along with endless stress and high expectations. We should all take a step back from our studying and stressing for a moment and recognize that in five years, the grade you get on your next test really won’t matter at all.

If you could change any one item in the world (in your personal life, school, community, amateur or professional sports, national/international issue, etc.), what would it be, why, and how would you do it?   I would like to educate people on a basic level the issues with our environment. I believe that if people knew how they were affecting the environment and really understood how dire it is to change, that it would be easier to make more effective changes in our world. There are so many basic things about the environment that I think people just don’t know anything about, but a nationwide education would really help us move forward into a more sustainable society.

What is your favorite form of entertainment?  I like to just relax and watch funny TV shows, like The Mindy Project and New Girl.

If you could give one piece of advice to elementary school children, what would that advice be?   I would tell them to not grow up too fast. Being a big kid is hard sometimes: we don’t get naptime and our dads don’t make us PB&Js for lunch everyday anymore. Also, I would tell them to be nice to their brothers and sisters because one day, they will be your best friends and biggest supporters.

Name three (3) people, real or fictional, living or dead, that you'd like to have dinner with?   I would love to have dinner with my grandmother, my mom’s mom, because I never got to meet her. She must be pretty great if she raised my amazing mom. The other two would be my parents when they were 20 because they are pretty cool people now and I think it would be hilarious to see what they were like when they were my age, 80s style hair and all.