Mayo star Madeline Gau will make waves in the Big Apple

ROCHESTER Bright lights and fast lanes: Madeline Gau is heading to New York City.Gau, an All-State junior swimmer for Mayo High School, will swim in college at Division I Columbia University.She announced her academic and athletic commitment to Columbia for the Fall of 2026 on social media on Friday, April 25.

Its a bit of a dream come true for Gau, who said the university was one of her top choices from the beginning of her recruitment.Her recruiting process took her around the country, as far west as Colorado and Wyoming and east to Buffalo and NYC.

As important as finding the right team was in her decision, she also wanted a school with academic rigor.In the end, Columbia and the Lions were the right choice for her.

Shortly before she shared her decision publicly, Gau spent a week in New York, visiting the campus and meeting with her future coaches and teammates.I talked with (associate head) coach Demerae (Christianson) a lot, and she was super lovely, Gau said.

When they offered me the opportunity to visit, I was really excited.

...

I fell in love with the city, and the girls were awesome, which was kind of a big factor for me.

I definitely prioritize the team and so that and the coaches and then the environment of Columbia I just felt so at home.

I knew it was kind of the right place to go.During her visit, Gau stayed with some of the current athletes on the team in their dorms.

They took her to practice and showed her around the city.The energy is super different there, which you could totally tell after spending your first night in New York, so it's a very different vibe than anything I've ever experienced, Gau said.

All the girls I met were super lovely, and I got to know quite a few of them, and they were all so welcoming.So I'm really excited to have that close of a community, and I think that's really going to help my transition to college.A look at the recruiting processGaus road to Columbia started with an email she sent to the coaches during her sophomore year.

Due to NCAA recruiting rules, Columbias coaching staff wasnt allowed to respond until the summer between her sophomore and junior years.After sifting through a handful of inquiries from swim coaches and corresponding with different schools throughout the winter, Gau narrowed it down to her top choices by March and visited four schools in April.It was a very busy month for me, and then I ultimately decided to go with Columbia because it was one of my top choices all the way throughout," she said.Gau said she is appreciative of her mom, teammates and coaches in Rochester and at Columbia, for helping her throughout a sometimes stressful and tedious recruitment process.Another reason that I really liked the coaches at Columbia is I felt I was able to ask them (anything), Gau said.

I didnt have older siblings that did the swimming recruitment process my brother played football and so I didn't really know about anything going in.

And so Demerae was really helpful (with) finding all that out.Preparing for the Ivy LeagueThe NCAA swimming and diving season typically runs from the fall until early spring.

As for the Ivy League, its season lasts from October to February or March, ending with the conference championships and the NCAA national meets.Before practices start, Gau will head to campus for Freshman Week.It's a week before anyone else comes, Gau said.

You get to go there and there (are) different groups you can be in.

You can be in an explore the city group, or in a nature adventure group, or an Introduction to Columbia group, and then you get to meet a bunch of freshmen that have the same interests as you.Gau will juggle an Ivy League course load with her swim schedule and plans to major in psychology with a minor in either French or Spanish two of the four languages she speaks fluently.The last hurrahBefore Gau heads off to the big city, she will swim her senior high school season with the Spartans as well as with her club team.Gau was the only swimmer on the Mayo girls' team who qualified for an individual event at the MSHSL Class 2A state swimming and diving meet last fall.

Gau was named All-State for her two top-six finishes, placing fifth in the 100-yard butterfly (56.01) and sixth in the 100-yard backstroke (56.56).She looks to keep her grades and times up as a senior as she prepares for the Division I swimmer lifestyle.I'm hoping to have a lot of fun, Gau said of her senior year.

Now that I'm committed ...

it does take a little bit of pressure off of just knowing that you don't have to swim a specific time to go anywhere.It is nice knowing that I have the next three seasons to kind of just work and really focus on swimming.

Just have fun, make sure my team is having fun.

I hope senior year, especially for high school season, (to make) sure it's fun for my friends and everything.

Just going out kind of strong.]]>.

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