Just under a year removed from the swim of a lifetime at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Omaha, NE, ​Ruby Martin​ is deep into the recruiting works.

Martin, who finished fourth in the 200m butterfly at trials, ranks in the top 25 for the class of 2018 in the College Swimming rankings. Accolades of that magnitude attract the bigger, faster schools to come calling.

The Iowa City West High School junior wraps up school at the end of May but has been taking time out of each day to talk over the phone with a college coach. It wasn't until recently that she realized how often she was on the phone.

"It's been about a call every night," Martin said. "I enjoy getting to know all of the coaches, but with school it's been hectic. You never really know how long a call is going to be; whether it will be 40 minutes or 10."

Keeping up with school has been on her mind lately, especially after competing in the Arena Pro Swim Series in Atlanta earlier this month. After the school year is when the recruiting process will get more interesting -- and intense. Already, several major schools have come to Iowa City to watch her practice.

Martin plans to take junior day visits to some schools to experience what each is like firsthand. In those trips, and through the calls she has already been on, she hopes to see if the programs fit her two main criteria: a positive bond with the coach and a connection with her possible teammates.

Finding The Right Fit

Martin has trained under multiple coaches in the last few years at her club, the Iowa Flyers. The one she had the closest bond with, ​Richard Salhus, is now an assistant at the University of Iowa. He was with her at the trials this past summer.

The coach-to-athlete relationship she had with Salhus is a quality she is looking for in her college search.

"With Richard, it was more than just a coach and an athlete. It was like a friendship," Martin said. "I tend to come off a shy person and am looking for a coach that will be a lot like Richard."

It isn't out of a lack for motivation, but Martin thinks she'd rather have a coach who doesn't always have an "in your face" mentality. She and her current club coach, ​Nathan Mundt​, spoke of her ability to attack tasks and focus on training.

"Ruby can do anything with how she trains," Mundt said. "She's driven, and she's going to work hard. The ability to build that relationship and understand the training philosophy will help through this process."

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Mundt isn't too concerned about Martin meshing with a new coaching staff. He took over coaching her after leaving the University of Iowa in the fall.

From a future teammate perspective, she is looking to find someone or a group to push her in training. This past year, she had a strong talent pool of training partners at IFly. The vast majority of that group graduated, and six of her former teammates are currently swimming at major Division I schools.

"When it comes to more endurance sets, it is usually just me out there," Martin said. "There aren't too many other 200 flyers on the team."

Martin is looking to find an elite group of teammates to train alongside once in college. The challenge during recruiting is figuring out which schools offer the best opportunities for success.

"She's really excited about having some great training partners, wherever that may be," Mundt said. "Also a team that is pushing to win a national championship. She's very talented and will be able to contribute right away."

In addition to swimming, picking a college includes finding the right academic fit. How the human body works comes as a main interest so she mentioned exercise science or physical therapy as a possible focus.

"I'm interested in how the body recovers and things like that. It definitely comes from swimming," she said.

On The Short List

Until July 1, schools can't call prospective athletes. They must rely on the high schooler to call or text them, which they can set up over email. Since July hasn't come yet, Martin is building relationships with multiple schools that she could see herself attending.

Currently, her list is nowhere near exclusive, but it's focused on five or six schools that have caught her eye more than others.

"There are still some schools that haven't reached out yet," Martin said. "I don't really have a dream school or a top school I want to go to. I'm putting it all out there and going with the flow."

Martin mentioned Arizona State and Texas as two of her favorites so far. Those two, specifically ASU, have related to the key areas she is looking for in a school. She made an unofficial visit to Tempe, AZ, earlier this spring.

The Sun Devils, who finished 29th at the NCAA Championships, lead other schools in the amount of contact with Martin. Arizona State coach ​Bob Bowman​, who is also the longtime coach of 23-time Olympic gold medalist ​Michael Phelps,​ took over the program in 2015.

"Before I even went down there the team was texting me," Martin said. "That made me feel really cool. Even though I wasn't there for a full day, I really enjoyed Arizona State."

The Texas Longhorns and coach ​Carol Capitani​ also sit well in the mix, despite Martin not having met anyone yet. Martin compared Capitani to her former club coach, citing how easy their conversations seem as the reason.

Texas finished in the top five a year ago, its highest since 2009. For Martin, the possibility to make the Olympic team is high after last summer's performance. She said that is up there on her father's hopes as well. The Longhorns most recent American Olympian, Kathleen Hersey, qualified in the 200 butterfly in 2008 and 2012.

Family Connections

Martin's recruitment isn't the first for her family. Her older brother, Oliver, experienced the process this past year and ultimately signed to play football at Michigan.

It's hard to not picture a family duo in Ann Arbor.

"It would obviously be a plus to go to the same school as my brother, especially for our family," she said. "We probably wouldn't see each other to much being football and swimming, but it would be nice."

Martin had a chance to visit campus, tagging along on Oliver's official visit. Depending on whether her brother takes a redshirt season or not, she may make more visits to watch him and Wolverines football team play.

"Her parents got to experience recruiting with Oliver, at a completely different level," Mundt said. "They're learning too, but it would be cool to have that combination of brother and sister at the same school."

She hasn't communicated with Michigan as much as others but has the school as one of her front-runners. As recruiters, the Wolverines also have a leg up. Current Michigan assistant ​Kristy Brager​ coached alongside Mundt last year at Iowa.

The first school to reach out was Florida. Some other schools that have expressed interest, and she's talked with, are Notre Dame, Wisconsin, and Indiana. Wisconsin and Indiana finished last year in the top 15; the other two didn't crack the top 40 at NCAAs.

"I can tell those schools feel that I would be a great fit," Martin said. "They sound super enthusiastic."

The early signing period for swimming isn't until November, but many athletes are already making commitments, including fellow 200 butterfly competitor ​Cassidy Bayer ​to California. Martin is in no rush to make her decision, especially since her list is still fairly wide open.

"I've never really given it thought to making an early decision," Martin said. "I'm not rushing it in any way. I don't see why there needs to be a hurry in the process."
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