Coaches often talk about leadership qualities in certain athletes. That might entail demonstrating a strong work ethic in practice. It might mean sacrificing individual glory for the good of the team. Or it could mean offering words of wisdom.

John Carroll senior swimmer Rachel Halapchuk checks all of those boxes. And when coach Tanner Barton talks about the Springdale grad as a leader, he also can point to a real-world example.

Halapchuk works in the university’s Center for Service and Social Action. Through that organization — and inspired by work she did over the summer with an agency that helped to find employment, housing and financial aid for refugees — Halapchuk spearheaded an effort go gather and deliver medical supplies that would be used to help Ukrainians affected by the ongoing war with Russia.

She and two teammates worked with MedWish International, a nonprofit in nearby Cleveland that collects and redistributes surplus medical supplies to people in need, to facilitate their task. Halapchuk said many of the refugees she worked with over the summer were from Ukraine.

“She is, in my opinion, the most selfless female in our swimming and diving program,” said Barton, in his third season at the helm. “She cares about others, and she genuinely cares about them.”

Barton’s description applies to Halapchuk — affectionately known to her teammates simply as “Chuk” — outside the pool as well as in it.

He said her versatility is her greatest strength as a swimmer, and she has no problem using that to help the team. He pointed to last season’s Ohio Athletic Conference championship meet, when he placed her in the 200 butterfly. It was not an event she spent a lot of time training for, but she still placed in the top five.

“She understood the need for her in that event because it would help our team in the standings and secure another championship,” Barton said.

Said Halapchuk, who is serving as a captain for the second year: “The farther I have gone (in my career), the more I can say I can be put in any event and be fine with it.”

Halapchuk recalled her sophomore season when, during the OAC meet, she was entered in the 200 backstroke. It was an event she hadn’t competed in all season, and, despite a subpar swim in the morning preliminaries, she made the “B” final and finished first, dropping 11 seconds from her preliminary time.

In fact, her time of 2 minutes, 12.86 seconds would have placed her fourth in the “A” final.

Regardless of the events she has swum, Halapchuk has contributed to three of the women’s team’s streak of six consecutive OAC titles. (The men also have won six in a row.) In 2020, she earned all-OAC honors in the 100 back and was part of winning 200 free and 200 medley relay tams. Last season, she earned all-OAC in the 100 fly.

“She can do longer distance butterfly. She can do sprint butterfly. She’s a great backstroker, a great sprint freestyler,” Barton said. “So I think as she has been here at John Carroll, her versatility has continued to improve season after season.”

Halapchuk, though comfortable with multiple events, said her go-to is the 100 fly, which she has been competing in since her time at Springdale. Her best college performance in the event was 59.42 seconds in February 2020.

“Fly is something that has stuck with me,” she said. “It’s the only event I have swam at the conference meet every single year. So no matter what events I get put in, it’s always nice to know that’s one event that stays with me, and that’s one event I can always count on training for and not having a surprise.”

As happy as she is with her individual accomplishments, Halapchuk is even more excited by the progress the team has made since her freshman season. The Blue Streaks were invited to compete in the prestigious Kenyon Total Performance Invitational, hosted by one of the top Division III programs in the country, last season and again this season. Last season’s invite was a program first.

Of course, the six consecutive OAC championships also are a testament to the program’s prowess. Halapchuk expects that success to continue, but she and her fellow seniors make sure the team remains humble.

“I think mostly being respectful of other teams,” she said. “I know we are on top, and sometimes other teams can get upset with that. So if anyone says anything to us, we want to make sure we’re treating everyone with respect and leading as men and women for others.”

Halapchuk does have a couple of individual goals in mind. She said she wants to be under a minute in the 100 fly as well as break 24.5 seconds in the 50 free.

If those times are good enough to land her on top of the podium come mid-February, that will be a bonus. If she can go 4 for 4 in conference titles, that, she said, is the most important thing.

“I think more all-conference recognition is great,” she said. “I think, as a freshman, obviously, I wanted to win, thought I was going to have a chance at winning. My body has changed. My training has changed. My events have changed over time, and I think just getting points for the team and seeing others succeed is really great.

“As long as our entire team is doing well, I am fine with however I place.”

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