While the Seattle University women's swim team was still getting its feet wet, Merceda Rivera stepped it up to a new level.
In 2002, her freshman year, Rivera became the first woman to win a national championship in the program's short history. She took the title in the 100-meter butterfly at the NAIA National Championships in Burnaby, B.C. Canada.
Today, Rivera is still the only woman in the program's history to bring home a national championship title.
"The 100 fly was definitely my favorite," Rivera says. "It's not too short, and it's not too long."
With a time of 1:05.48, Rivera secured her place in Seattle U's history books and helped the women's team to a second place finish at the NAIA National Championships, just 53 points behind Simon Fraser University.
"She had a fierceness about her you wouldn't see if you didn't see her race," says Kat Cuevas, former teammate and current assistant coach of the Seattle U swim teams.
Hailing from Oahu, Hawaii, Rivera was looking for a college with a swimming program where she could be competitive. Seattle U, with its reputable nursing program,
NAIA swim team and head coach Craig Mallery, was a good fit for Rivera.
"I have to thank Craig," she says. "If it weren't for him, I would have gone to UH and not swam."
Rivera says Seattle's winters made her appreciate her home state a lot more but that she was glad to experience college outside of Hawaii.
Juggling a rigorous class schedule in the nursing program and swimming was difficult, Rivera says. Life consisted of studying, sleeping, eating and swimming. However, Mallery was supportive when Rivera had to miss practices for her clinicals.
"With swimming, it was nice to get away," Rivera says. "It balanced me out and kept me from going crazy."
After graduating from Seattle U with a degree in nursing in 2005, Rivera went home to Hawaii for a few months. However, she soon found herself back in Seattle working at Harborview Medical Center. Rivera said Harborview has been her favorite place to work so far.
"I have a lot of stories from Harborview," Rivera says. "It's a teaching hospital so you get to see everything."
At Harborview, Rivera got into medical surgery nursing but hopes to start working in the emergency room.
"I'm always learning something new," Rivera says. "Sometimes I love it, sometimes I hate it."
"If I ever needed a nurse, I'd want it to be Merceda," Cuevas says.
After spending two years in Seattle post-graduation, Rivera moved to Kent, Wash. Today, she works at Good Samaritan Hospital and lives with her husband Bill Tollett—a fellow Seattle U swimming alumnus. Tollett was a year ahead of Rivera and was inducted with the 2002 men's swim team into the Seattle U Athletics Hall of Fame last year. The same year Rivera won the 100-meter butterfly national championship, the Seattle U men's team won the NAIA National Championship.
"When I got the letter, it felt like it was a long time ago," Rivera says of her time at Seattle U. She was inducted into the Seattle U Athletics Hall of Fame April 17.
Rivera said giving her accep- tance speech was nerve-racking. Cuevas said along with the fierceness Rivera possesses comes a great sense of humility.
"The fierce competitiveness and humility are a great combination," Cuevas says.
Remembering their days swimming together for Seattle U, Cuevas recalled Rivera's opti- mistic attitude and ability to lead by example.
"She's a joy," Cuevas says. "She's one of those people who is going to go really far because of the way she looks at life."
Taylor may be reached at sports@su-spectator.com
 "Photo: Matthew Brady | The Spectator")
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