As a senior at Wakefield High, Emily Medeiros won the 100-yard breaststroke in the Division 2 state swimming meet at Harvard University. That performance was not only the best of her high school career, but it convinced Medeiros that competing as a collegian would be a good idea. Now a junior at Springfield College majoring in physical therapy, she is already a three-time NCAA Division 3 All-American in her speciality, the breaststroke. Medeiros holds the school record in the event, as well as part of the Pride’s 400-yard medley relay.

Q. How did you get your start in swimming and racing?

A. I really liked the water when I was little and they could never get me out of the pool. I tried just about every sport, but most of them didn’t really work out. I was never good at catching and throwing. My mother saw a sign for the swim team and signed me up. I loved the lessons but I wasn’t very good. But had a lot of fun with it. I was more casual with it. One of the first races I ever did, when I was about seven, I stopped in the middle of the race and found my parents in the stands and starting waving to them. They were yelling at me to go to the other end.

Q. So you weren’t an instant success?

A. I didn’t like it the first year. It was really hard work. But my parents had bought all the equipment and said I had to do another year. After the second season, I was sold. I had all my friends there and I loved it. I swam for that team, the Andover-North Andover YMCA Hurricanes, through high school and help coach with them now.

Q. Equipment?

A. Bathing suits are pretty expensive. They go for about $70 apiece and I had a bunch of them. Caps and goggles. You wouldn’t think there was that much. You have a kickboard, an equipment bag. It adds up pretty quickly.

Q. The highlight of swimming at Wakefield High?

A. Finals of the state meet senior year. I had been a solidly OK swimmer in my high school career and was pretty consistent. I don’t know exactly what happened senior year, but I had a really great sectional meet and dropped three seconds from my time, which is huge. In the state meet I dropped three more. It all came together for me at the end of senior year and it was a great time for that to happen and I won the 100-yard breaststroke. It also motivated me that I could keep up with the girls in college swimming. I had been apprehensive about handling swimming on top of school work. It’s worked out so far.

Q. Why the breaststroke vs. other strokes as your specialty?

A. Depending on their growth and what they’re working on, kids go through phases of different strokes being their best. I was a backstroker and a butterflyer, never a freestyler. It changed every couple of years. Once I was 13, I started to be sure breaststroke was my best. I don’t know if it’s the way I’m built. In breaststroke the power comes from the legs. I don’t know if it was that I had strong little legs for a kid.

Q. Is breaststroke your favorite event as well as your best?

A. Yes. I really like to breathe on every stroke. In backstroke you can breathe every stroke. In butterfly and freestyle the coaches are always saying, ‘Cut down on your breathing, cut down on your breathing.’ They never tell us that. Legally your head has to come out of the water every stroke.

Q. How did you settle on physical therapy as a major?

A. I’ve always been interested in medicine and my science classes and I just always knew I wanted to help people when I graduated. I was kind of attracted to physical therapy when I had patella tracking disorder in my knee and had some issues in my back growing up. I went to physical therapists and they were just incredible. When doctors said you can’t do what you want in athletics or that in life you can’t perform daily things, it had a real big impact on me and motivated me. I don’t know where I’ll end up in PT, whether it’s outpatient, or something else like pediatrics or geriatrics, but I know I want to help people get back to where they want to be.

Q. Do you have a favorite place to visit in New England?

A. I hang out anywhere there’s a pool.

Allen Lessels

For full interview go to bostonglobe.com/north.