It is no secret that committing to a collegiate sports program is a big landmark in an athlete’s life. Griffin Henze, senior at Germantown Academy, recently announced his decision to swim at New York University. A stand-out performer in and out of the pool, Griffin has become a leader in the GA community. In a recap of his GA swim career, Griffin disclosed how “It’s nice in swimming because it’s based on time, so you can compare yourself pretty easily to others- you either have the time, or you don’t.”
Henze started his recruiting process sophomore year by “filling out questionnaires and thinking of where [he] could fit in.” Around February of his junior year, “NYU reached out,” and Griffin “knew they had a great team and academics”— it was there that he knew his recruiting process had really kicked off. Elaborating upon why NYU was the right fit for him, Griffin said: “After talking to the coaches I knew this was the place to be. It was a super well-funded program at a super good school where academics would be the number one priority. The coaching staff is also very supportive, and they had many good resources for student-athletes.” Griffin was able to announce his commitment to NYU after he was officially accepted into the impressive institution, and this was just the culmination of an incredible high school career.
Griffin’s journey to becoming the impressive senior captain he is today began when he entered GA as a freshman. He explained, “swimming at GA was rough at first because before GA, I was not a very good swimmer at all,” and that he genuinely “saw a lot of improvement through his GA swimming journey.” He took inspiration from GA alumni Jack Lafond and Sean Keenan, who “took [him] under their wings as mentor figures.” Griffin used their influence to prosper throughout his junior and senior seasons. A few of his many accomplishments from junior year include placing at Easterns, qualifying for his first national meet, and scoring countless points for the team. He gives a special shoutout to Coach Jeff and Coach Donny: “I would not be anywhere close to where I am today without their help. Not only have they improved my swimming, but more importantly, they really have made me the person I am today. They taught me how to persevere, how to treat people, and how to lead. They are probably two of the most influential people in my life.” Griffin describes the GA swimming program as “one big family with an amazing culture,” and recalls his favorite memories of playing Mario Kart in the hotel room during a travel meet and going to Buffalo Wild Wings with the team.
Griffin also emphasizes the time management it takes for him to manage training, school, and leadership. Letting everyone in on his secret, Griffin explains that “hard work works.” He speaks about how “you really have to love the sport, be self-motivated, and always push forward towards your long term goals.” Griffin said “goal setting is the key to my swimming” because it “held me accountable and subconsciously made me put in more effort.” To furthers, “swimming is a huge mental game, so controlling my stress was crucial to my performance.” Griffin divulged that his daily 12-hour school days, from 6 AM to 6 PM, helped him develop scheduling skills and taught him not to procrastinate his work. By “communicating openly with [his] teammates, coaches, and teachers,” he learned people can be very accommodating and flexible with his workload. He describes that, as a captain, you must “lead with your actions” because you are always being looked upon. He concluded his interview with a hopeful statement to the GA community: “Don’t stress because everything will work out okay.”
The GA community congratulates Griffin on his commitment to swim at NYU, and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors. Griffin is a recognized leader in and out of the pool, and Germantown Academy cannot wait to see what else Griffin will strive to do in the future.
