PHILADELPHIA - When Olivia Armater first stepped foot on La Salle's campus in late summer of her freshman year, she had no intention of competing in collegiate athletics – and she didn't. Armater spent her first year at La Salle as a non-athlete but couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. An athlete for virtually the entirety of her life, Armater knew she couldn't go through college without some obligation towards sports. She first got into swimming in the third grade and competed every season through her sophomore year in high school. There, her interest faded from the pool and she joined her school's field hockey and track teams.
 
It wasn't until she was watching her sister, Liz, at the senior meet in February of 2010 that her interest was sparked once again. While Liz was a diver for the Explorers, Olivia couldn't help but watch the swimmers race at the other end of Kirk Pool. She was quick to contact head coach Matt Nunnally and before she knew it she had committed to swimming as an Explorer the following semester. After a three-year hiatus, Armater returned to the first sport she ever took up.
 
Perhaps the biggest perk of spending a significant amount of time away from the sport is the relatively rapid improvement in times when you return. When Armater competed in her first Atlantic 10 Championship in 2011, she recorded personal best times in her signature events – the 100 and 200 yard breaststrokes. Granted she was three years older and stronger than when she last competed, but the trend continued the following season. At the 2012 A10 Championship, she dropped over two and a half seconds in her 100 breast (1:06.68) and nearly three-and-a-half seconds in her 200 breast (2:24.45) compared to the same meet a year earlier. Armater continued to drop time, even in the middle of her senior year season. At the Bucknell Invitational (11/18/12), Armater recorded yet another personal best time in the 200 yard breast, touching the wall in 2:22.04. Such a significant drop in time at the mid-point of the season certainly bodes well for Armater at the end of the year.
 
With the 2013 Atlantic 10 Championship just over one week away, count on Armater to end her career in style.